All fired up by Caroline Paul’s ‘Tough Broad’

In case you can’t tell by the title of this post – I LOVED THIS BOOK!

I confess, though, when I first got an email offering me a review copy of Tough Broad, I thought it had been sent to me by mistake.

I mean, I can be a pretty tough broad but the book’s tagline ‘From Boogie Boarding to Wing Walking – How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age’ did not seem to be relevant to me at all.

I like being outdoors but I don’t consider myself to be particularly physically adventurous.

Is that a weird thing for a martial artist to say? Maybe. But TKD is just part of my routine now so it doesn’t register as requiring much adventurous spirit at this point.

When I thought about it, though, I realized that I was probably just the right person to read it for the blog. I’m not adventure-seeking but I’m not totally averse to trying new things and maybe this book would help me consider being a little more adventurous.

That being said, I was expecting to enjoy the book but to have to dig to find connections to my own life. I assumed that the women Paul profiled would be VERY different from me, inspiring as all hell, sure, but they would probably be lifelong adventurers, wired for being outdoors and for staring danger in the face.

Instead, Paul’s excellent writing offered me instant connections, showing me a range of women who were adventuring at their own level and facing challenges in very relatable ways. Sometimes she’s introducing her readers to women just like them, making adventures seem like something they could start right away and other times she is showing those adventures as just out of reach right now – but definitely possible with some focused effort.*

And Tough Broad is not just a series of examples of inspiring, adventurous broads. Paul weaves key elements of research on aging into each section, making herself and the various adventurers examples of the research results in action. It’s much easier to understand how the value of play factors into the aging process when you’re reading about a 97 year old boogie boarder than when you’re just thinking about it in the abstract.

I took over 16 pages of notes, connected so many dots, and had so many insights while reading this book that I am going to have to write separate posts about different aspects in order to keep my ideas organized. For now, though, let me say that if you think you want to shake up your activities a bit and try something new, Caroline Paul’s Tough Broad is an excellent place to start.

Personally, I’m already considering what more ‘outdoor adventure’ might look like for me right now. I have no plans to become a daredevil but Paul’s book has me fired up to find ways to get outdoors to have even more fun even more often and, as she recommends, to do it completely on my own terms.

*To be clear, she’s not suggesting that we all can or should run out and learn to skydive or do other intense adventures. She clearly recognizes and states that we all have different abilities, capacities, and resources, and that everyone’s adventures will be different. But she IS reminding us that adventuring is not just for the young and she’s inviting people of any age to be open to finding their own adventures.