Musing

2C/36F, overcast, walking is a little easier this morning (icing my achilles seems to be helping); Gusta can’t seem to figure out where the snow went but seemed to delight in startling the tai chi man grunting away in the dark in a secluded spot by the lagoon

I’m off to Edmonton this afternoon …meetings there tomorrow

for those curious folks who have not already called or written, my mystery lunch yesterday was fun, lots in common including frenetic schedules; too soon to predict anything but a very nice meeting - maybe dinner next time

two quotes drive a point home for me:

‘Security is a kind of death.’ – Tennessee Williams

‘People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering.’ – St. Augustine

some people flow easily from one stop to another, like bees exploring a flower for a taste, them tasting another & other, getting just as full as the one who stays long in one place – but what a different adventure they have; the difference between endless repetition & variety in search of a rose garden or a lotus flower

some people I’ve met stress themselves terribly by staying put – in one place – immobilized by fear, uncertainty, doubt & a plague of foreboding – afraid to venture, petrified of adventure, stuck - just stuck, thunderstruck, dumbstruck – stuck

alternatively, consider adventure

adventure, or adventure not

dare, or dare not

explore, or explore not

every day every critter on this earth (other than man & the occasional woman) is faced with risks, adventures with life or death potential every day; we humans delude ourselves that ours is a different fate; determined by choices, plans, destiny, ambition & enjoying the fruits of our labour

there is no security in anything; if the risks are as great sitting still or moving, I choose moving; if my life expectancy is somewhere between another 20 minutes or another 40 years, I think I need to be diligent in using every 20 minutes to the fullest

it is inconvenient sometimes to get moving; as if Newton’s laws of motion also apply to emotion or joy or fulfillment – they don’t

but a body at rest tends to stay at rest

adventures we seek (or not) probably separate us as well as anything, better than age or gender, better than washed vs. unwashed

those who seek adventure vs. those who sit at home deliberately avoiding it

our tummies may be tied in knots either way, but when the next 20 minutes might be my last, does it not make more sense to choose adventure?

I choose adventure; to venture, to stretch, to try, to risk, to fail, to fail again, to fail again, to grow, to laugh, to cry, to walk, to fly, to push my envelope to extremes

not every day mind you, sometimes I am busy focusing on the adventure that began the day before & I get carried away

may I never sit still, afraid to try

adventure with life or death potential every day is not my choice, it is my reality; sitting still insures that no adventure will happen, while those risks are constant

pursuit of adventure need not increase risk, but it certainly increases pulse rate

check your pulse to see if your heart is racing, mine is

if yours is not, get busy

bet your life on it

Mark
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