Risking Life

Photo: Tony Wodarck

Someone once told me that you will never experience life in its totality without risk. They are two things that can exist completely separate from one another, yet are often found joined at the hip.

Risk. Our brain wants us to play it safe, stay out of harm’s way, and avoid disrupting the homeostatic state it constantly tries to maintain.

Then there’s Life. Life resides somewhere deeper — far removed from the brain — in the place where the hairs stand up on your arms or a single note of a song can bring tears to your eyes. It’s the place some refer to as the soul or heart. It’s the place from which we all want to operate. It abundantly offers us things like joy, ease, and contentment.

We all want Life. We all want to be wholehearted. But isn’t it interesting that we must risk in order to receive the life we so deeply desire? And risking doesn’t equate to success. Fail you will. Succeed you will. But that’s beside the point. Whether you fail or succeed, Life is there waiting for you — ready to give abundantly and teach you just how deep this rabbit hole actually goes.