Up Front With Sara Parker Pauley

I must admit I just wasn’t in the mood for a trip. My husband and I were headed up to Kansas City to join some friends — our first trip to KC since before the pandemic. Our friends wanted to try an escape room where you get 60 minutes to figure out a number of brain-racking clues that will eventually (hopefully) lead to your escape. I think I didn’t want to exert the mental energy on a Saturday … and it was something unknown, something outside my normal. It just seemed like a lot of effort, for what gain?

So now I’ll confess the rest of the story. It was a total blast. The fun of working together as a team, the dopamine rush of figuring out difficult clues, and, yes, trying something new! We relived and laughed about our shared adventure the rest of the day. I wondered why I’d been so hesitant, especially with all the mental and physical benefits of learning new things.

Sound familiar? Have you found yourself in a bit of a pandemic rut? Ready to shake off some mental and physical cobwebs and head out to the grand outdoors this summer? Then this is the issue for you. Check out Pick an Outdoor Adventure on Page 10 and Never Lose Touch on Page 20 — both wonderful resources to get the brain juices flowing as you plan your outdoor fun. Then, get to it! Just like me and the escape room, you’ll wonder what took you so long.

Sara Parker Pauley, Director
Sara.Pauley@mdc.mo.gov