Risking your Life

So, I've been remembering this story….

In the story, a game was played. The players sat in a circle and clapped in rhythm. Then, in time with the beat, one player threw two knives across the circle, to be caught and passed on by another player. This was, as you can imagine, very dangerous and sometimes bad things happened. A person new to the culture was trying to understand just why lives would be risked in what was, after all, just a game. He was told, “We play the game to deserve to live.” It's make believe, of course, kind of a fairy tale. Still, even fairy tales can teach us something.

Personally, I think about that some of the time. To live your life, every now and then you need to risk your life.

I'm not talking about risking your life by mountain climbing, bungee jumping or any other such foolishness. My kids do that for me. I realize this puts me outside the mainstream of American life, but I've never understood the need for manufactured thrills and artificial challenges. For me, getting out of bed in the morning and dealing with the rest of the world has always been enough to keep my pulse pounding.

In the early 80’s risking my life once meant placing myself between an angry knife wielding husband and his terrified wife took a form of courage I am told. Funny, I do not remember being brave that night, all I saw was a wrong and someone needed to step in. I saw and heard what was happening, I did what was needed, not realizing until later what had happened.

No, what I'm saying is that to truly deserve your life, you need to live your life, and that means taking chances. Scary ones. Really scary ones! I'm talking about falling in love, following your passion, fulfilling your promises, taking a stand. I'm talking about taking your beating heart in your hand and throwing it across the room, to someone who may or may not catch it.

Yeah, baby, that's some scary stuff, isn't it? Makes a hike up the side of Mount Everest look downright relaxing.

When I see the sort of things that go on in our country, from extreme sports to the hell bent pursuit of more…stuff… to the endless macho posturing of rap singers and politicians, it makes me think there's something horribly phony about all of it. I think all these tough guys are only play acting, pretending to be tough because under it all, they're just terrified at the thought of what's really lurking out there. It is easier to face down a physical fear that looking the fool for falling in love and possibly retrieving a broken heart.

You want scary? I'm no big fan of heights, but I'd hang off the edge of a mountain by my fingernails before I'd take another midnight trip to the hospital with an eight month old who couldn't breathe. You want to talk about tough? I know, you're thinking about football players or action movie stars. Forget it – I've seen tough. Tough is the police officer in Sioux Falls delivering news to a newly widowed wife, informing her that her husband would not be coming home that Saturday night or ever again. That day was the couple’s 1st year anniversary and the 1st day in their new home and she was due to give birth any day. They had just spent the day planting trees in the yard for their future.

Determined may be Lance Armstrong peddling up the Alps, but I guess I'd have to vote for the old lady with the bad hip who works brutally hard in therapy so she can park her walker and hang onto her independence just one more time. It's a fight she'll lose, eventually, but she'll never surrender.

To live your life you need to risk it. And that means taking the chances that make us whole human beings.

If you're going to live your life, live it all the way. Face your fears and throw that someone special - your heart. You just may be surprised! Otherwise, what's the point?