If I had my life to live over, I would try to make more mistakes. I would relax. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would pick more daisies. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones. - Don Herold, 1889 – 1966
I love this quotation because it reminds me it’s okay to take risks…and fail. It’s okay to leave the housework to another day. It’s okay to reduce the worry factor because many of the things we worry about will never happen. It’s okay to play.
I recently took a seven day raft trip on the Green River through Dinosaur National Monument with friends. It was a trip with long slow floats followed by some wake-up-and-take-notice rapids. There were meals to prepare, camps to put up and and camps to take down each day. There were games to play, frisbees to throw and so many moments to savor. There were no cell phones, computers or other distractions of our daily life at home.
None of the rapids seem overly dangerous and yet our trip found us passing by another private group which had just experienced a death by drowning. They were being assisted by another commerical group and we were merely a spectator to their aftermath. We grieved for them and their victim and all that they had gone through and would have to go through the remainder of their trip. As one friend put it, this will be a milestone the rest of their lives.
Taking risks is not about whether to take the Space Mountain ride at Disneyland where all is secure. It’s about stepping out into an unknown where there can be large stones in the path. Death is a rarity in most of these outdoor activities, but it’s always there and when it shows up, it is messy and awkward. We all will go through this door; it’s yet another reminder of the preciousness of life.
Celebrate life.
Your truly,
Bryan Dear
