Taking Risks

I recently shared a photo of a buddy and I descending The Dragon on our bicycles.  Among the kinder comments was one from the wife of one of my college buddies who questioned my sanity for being on The Dragon, suggesting that I address those risks in a future column.

OK, here it is.

But first, let me talk a little about taking risks.

I believe that we are made to live full, robust lives.  I also believe that every time we get out of bed in the morning, we take risks.

Just think about your daily routine.  For many of us, our morning routine involves a drive somewhere.  Maybe it's to work or taking the kids to school or meetings or appointments or...you get the idea.

Now you may be a perfectly good driver with an impeccable driving record.  Always stay within the speed limit.  Always alert, practicing defensive driving. 

But along comes a 16 year old that just got their driver's license and they just HAVE TO answer that text message that just came through.  So they're driving a 3000 pound machine going 50 miles an hour when they fail to see that the light turned red.

They t-bone into your driver's door and you wake up in the emergency room.  Or not at all.

Risky?  Sure.  Scares me to death.

Or your travel is on an airplane (which, by the way, is one of the safest forms of travel that we have).   That airplane might weigh 735,000 pounds fully loaded.  That's 367.5 tons.

And those two engines, each about as tall as a man, is going to get this thing off the ground in the span of the typical runway?  If you understand that then tell me how a bumblebee flies.

What about singing in front of people.  Think you can do it?  Try it. 

Anytime you put yourself out in front of people to be scrutinized, to be judged, it is scary.  But you take that risk and move on or you don't and miss an opportunity.

Jump out of a perfectly good airplane?  Not for me.

These videos of a narrow path etched into the side of a cliff in some foreign country?  Scares me just watching them.

You see, life is full of risks.  Some calculated.  Some beyond on our control.  Some forced on us and there's nothing we can do about it.

The Dragon gets thousands of visitors on weekends, spring through fall.  It is a gorgeous drive and a fun road.  But it also has to be respected.

Descending that road on my bicycle, I'm going about 30 miles an hour, barely creeping for some of the motorcycles.  Risky?  Maybe.  But a life without some risks is boring indeed.  And besides that, it is a ton of fun.