Random Musings

Mind Card: “When did you last take a risk and how did it feel?”

I’m not holding up my side of the “write every day” thing. There are just too many bits on the docket for me to feel like I have the time. Mayybe that’s a key, though. Maybe I need to take that time.

Anyway. Risk.

My wife is a “jump and see” kind of person. I’m a “I’ll give it a go, I think,” kind of person. We went skiing in the Dolomites; I spent most of it on my butt or icing my knees. We rented electric scooters in Paris; I very nearly sped right into traffic, and nearly took out Nic’s kidney before I later crashed into a tree. We rented bike in Chicago; it was too tall, and I couldn’t put my feet down, causing me stress sweat. We went snorkeling; I threw up in my snorkel mask.

These may not sound like risks to you, but for someone who is desperately clumsy and prone to falling, they are. I could, as my mother-in-law says, trip over the pattern in a carpet.

The best one, though? Ziplining over a tropical forest in Thailand.

That was incredible. I was flying! I didn’t care about my weight. I didn’t care how I looked. I didn’t care about anything other than the feeling of flying over the trees, landing on platforms and laughing with the guys out there with us. I felt so incredibly free, and the laughter that came out wasn’t tinged with any other emotion than joy. It was scary, yes. Taking that first step off the platform and trusting to wires in the sky to keep you from plummeting to your death is a risk. But what a beautiful, awe inspiring experience.

What about you? Are you a risk taker?

*ps Putting a book out is a risk we both take over and over again, and it’s always nerve wracking.