Life is Risky

Hello friends,

One of my teachers, Victor Anderson, said “Anything worthwhile is dangerous.” I always add the caveat that “not everything dangerous is worthwhile,” but the original point still stands. Life is risky. Just look at historical childbirth rates.

These days, life feels especially perilous, as climate change roars, and despots and the ultra privileged few gamble with the planet’s resources and our lives. In response, some people are driven to acts of desperation, while others retreat into what feels like safety.

I know both the run toward danger and the retreat into smallness that I think will keep me safe. One is my personality and the other a childhood trauma response. I live with the tension between these states. It’s part of how I navigate my life.

On one of my walks, I came across a basketball hoop and looked up to see it framed against gray August skies. “Shoot your shot,” I thought. And I’ve been doing that. I shoot my shot through writing. I’m shooting my shot by taking more risks in my business. I shoot my shot by insisting the lives of my neighbors matter to me, despite the danger of an authoritarianism that wants us all to shut up about it, trying to cow us into docility.

Despite—or perhaps because of—these times, I see people around me taking risks for others, themselves, and our planet every single day. People insist on critical thinking. People insist on the safety of children. People insist on reclaiming joy.

We need some measure of risk taking in our lives, as well as a place to find rest. What risks are you taking right now, and what risks are you avoiding? Do you need to risk more, or do you need to carve out pockets of comfort so you can keep showing up long term?

Best wishes — Thorn