Reconsider Risk

Most people understand that their is no “happily ever after”.  There is no riding off into the sunset to a castle outfitted with servants.  We accept that fairy tales are the stuff of childhood dreams and romantic, glassy eyed teens.

But as adults, many of us are still seeking safety the same way that children hear a fairy tale.. as something to hope for and strive towards. We wait to make a big move until we have a buffer, for many that is enough money in the bank.  And time passes. It never seems to be the right time to make the change. When did we become so predictable?  So afraid?

We as a adults can think of security the same way a recreational drug user needs a fix, as a way to hold back reality.  We rap ourselves in a false blanket of security to make life seem not so random, so chaotic.

I know so many people are waiting to launch themselves.  They wait to make a change of career, to make a large investment until they feel safe, but safety is just another drug.  The truth is we are never really safe.  Our ancestors understood this.  

I imagine in primitive times their was a saber tooth tiger at every impasse or a vile disease breathing down your neck every month or so. These people understood safety as only temporary.  They could not insulate themselves from risk, they lived with it, I imagine.

With all our antibiotics and air bags we have grown so accustomed to safety and we have deadened ourselves from what makes life interesting: risk. Maybe this is one of the reasons Corona Virus is so scary; we are not as safe as we thought.

We have lost the ability to trust in our ability to handle the unknown. Thus, people through the pandemic have tried to protect themselves by buying tremendous amounts of toilet paper.

Consider, if something has been calling you to change. Consider there may never be a right time. What if you took a small step today towards what you have been desiring. Whatever that is, consider sending out a resume, putting up a personal add, going to Home Depot and buying some lumber for that remodel you have been dreaming about.