20,000 Leagues and whatnot

There's this weird thing in life where we wish everything was exciting. We wish everything was about discovery and the feelings associated with something new and fantastic. 

Think of it like this. If I were exploring thermal vents and found a bizarre looking species of fish that hovers around them in the deep ocean, I might get pretty excited. I'm already 20,000 leagues under the sea in a submersible. Hollywood as fuck. But not only that, I discover a new species. Wow! So what next? Well, I have to catch one. Collect a sample. I have to go back up to the boat. I have to float back across the ocean to the shore, through probably angry waters. I have to go to my laboratory. I have to where a white coat and goggles and gloves. I have to take very good care of my sample. I have to put parts of it under a microscope and get data to put into a computer to compare with other similar species to see the differences. I have to read lots of scientific names and whatnot. I have to write a boring paper about my discovery that references at least 20 other peer reviewed papers about similar discoveries. 

Then what?

I've done it? 

When can I get back in the submersible and have fun again? 

I think the trick is figuring out how to enjoy the mundane. Life is so much more mundane than adventure and newness. The first few months of dating someone and having that everyday excitement about being with them? It wears off. Then what do you do? This is what we're talking about in couples counseling. We need to create the environment we want to be in, rather than accepting or lamenting that it's gone. There is excitement in the laboratory. Sure, it may be different than 20,000 leagues and whatnot, but it can be found. 

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