The Risks We Take

I was particular struck by this piece of writing, so thought I'd share.

http://sprinterlife.com/2013/07/the-risks-we-take.html

-Allen

That was a great read, thanks.

That was an amazing read.  Kids have a way of making you recognize your mortality. 

-Mark-

     Wow..........

 As I read this piece , I thought of the many times in my life, that I have cheated death......and there have been more of those times than I will ever tell anyone.
 
 It is sobering when someone you love and respect takes their life into their own hands and the outcome is not favorable. When a life is lost--there are so many unanswered questions--and most will never be answered.


 But life does go on.......

 Hence my signature..."Life is  short--live it tall"


 Have to stop here--can't see thru my own tears.

If it's my time, would like it to be while I'm doing thing that I love...

The story isn't really about it being your time, it's about those we leave behind.  I know that feeling.  It's the one that caused me to leave the Army.  This is my daughter, playing with my stuff while I was packing for Afghanistan.  Shortly after I got there, I found out my 2nd daughter was on the way. 

Knowing your limits, and then respecting them, is the key to living long enough for your kids to have the chance to pick out your nursing home.

That said, you don't really know what your limits are until you cross them.  Just have to hope that when you do cross those limits it is not in a way that is catastrophic.

That was pretty hard to read... Man..

My take aways:

"...what do I want to pass on to you, because I already see the crazy in your little green eyes...
Perhaps in teaching you how to measure risk without the extra weight of ego and fear, I will learn to find the balance myself, and together we will get the most out of this already too short life."

Teaching your kids risk mitigation can be humbling.  Sometimes kids need to fail in order to learn the cost of mis-calculation.  No amount of instruction can replace a painful lesson.

-Mark-

That hit pretty close to home. Mortality is a fragile thing, live every day and let those close to you know you love them everyday.
When you do take risks understand the consequences and be OK with them before you leave.

I lost my father to a SCUBA diving accident when I was 14. The recreations we choose on the water can alter our lives and the lives of those around you very quickly.

Sent from my Motorola Flip phone.

When you do take risks understand the consequences and be OK with them before you leave.

Ayup.  I do lots of things that are potentially dangerous.  Falling trees on my property for one.  But I mitigate those risks by a) not falling trees that I'm not sure of where they'll fall, and b) giving myself multiple escape routes in case I was wrong about a).  That and not falling trees when I'm tired and dehydrated.

Same kind of planning goes into my bike riding (all on the roads).  I pick routes that give me the least danger of being run over while still not going too far out of the way.  Last time I got hit by a car on my bike I was 16 or 17 and living in New Zealand.  Got out of that one with just a scraped palm.  But it did teach me a lot about how to pay attention to what's around me.

I lost my father to a SCUBA diving accident when I was 14. The recreations we choose on the water can alter our lives and the lives of those around you very quickly.

Sorry to hear about that.  My condolences.

That hit pretty close to home. Mortality is a fragile thing, live every day and let those close to you know you love them everyday.
When you do take risks understand the consequences and be OK with them before you leave.

I lost my father to a SCUBA diving accident when I was 14. The recreations we choose on the water can alter our lives and the lives of those around you very quickly.

Sent from my Motorola Flip phone.

Lost my brother in law last year to a SCUBA accident. He dove for WDFW. Has left a huge hole in my family.

Having kids defiantly changed my amount of risk assessment.

Interesting read, thanks for sharing.

I remember the summer before my kids were born I used to go running quads and a little dune buggy through the forest on trails on a buddy's property. We did some probably kinda stupid things, especially considering none of us really had much experience on those vehicles (I've ridden motorcycles on and off road my whole life, so I guess that counts for something).

Anyway the next winter my kids were born. Then the following summer I'm back down on his property, and I'm running the quad, and I realize I'm not hitting the corners as fast, I'm second-guessing my speed on the straightaways, etc. And it bugged me, I felt like I was losing my edge or something. I couldn't figure it out and ended the session in frustration. Then that night I was playing with my now 6-month old kids, and it all made sense.

So I am more careful now; I think that is the natural progression of things. But I will continue to take risks. In my estimation the vast majority of people don't take enough risks. I don't advocate being stupid or operating outside of your abilities, but I do want my kids grow up watching a father who goes out and does stuff, tries new things, and succeeds and fails with grace.

I sure as heck am not going to go out of my way to leave my kids' lives early, but living a life without doing what you love and taking reasonable risks is just another way to leave their lives early.