You Just Don't Know

I heard a really terrific quote today. It was:

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men, as a whole, experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

What makes this quote even more profound is who its author is. This is a quote from Helen Keller. No one could be more qualified to speak on such a topic. When you really think about it this quote is a very true and, to some, a very scary thing. It actually scares me a little because I believe very strongly that it is true even beyond my understanding. Try as we might we really have no control of what is going to happen next in our lives. Anything can happen... Anything! The future will always be a huge unknown.

Everyone has little tricks that they use to psyche themselves up in certain situations or to help control their emotions and perceptions. My trick to handle fear of the unknown is something I learned to help deal with a recurring feeling that I would experience when riding a motorcycle. I would often get scared when riding my bike. This could potentially be a very dangerous thing for a motorcyclist. It would cause me to stiffen up and my riding skills to dwindle as I would start over thinking about how I would handle a particular turn coming up in the road or the traffic ahead. This over thinking would have me watching for a number of scenarios that I thought could occur in the next few yards that would surely throw me if I didn’t plan for them. But the truth of the matter was no matter how much I thought of what could happen I never really would know. And the only way to prepare for something was to keep my mind and eyes open and take it as it comes. As I would start thinking of the gravel that might be in my line or the high wind that might hinder my control I would stop himself and say, “Michelangelo, you just don’t know what is coming, no matter what it looks like you will never know what will happen until it does. So just take that next mile and we’ll see… we will just have to see.”

I found that by stepping outside myself and paying attention to my life I could identify many other times when I had felt this way. It included making decisions at my job, my feelings during airplane landings, doctor visits and yes talking to women. “Just let it flow,” had always made me feel better and prepared me the best way possible for any situation.

On top of that life is so much more enjoyable when you are out there looking forward to seeing what is coming next instead of guessing about what problems you may have. So keep you eyes up and your ears open and ride on to new adventures. It is really only way to live.

-M@