Fear of Falling

I was always a fairly cautious kid. When my sister and I were young and would play outside, I thought I was adventurous. I wanted to go exploring and climb trees. But at the same time, I was always the first to say, "Let's go back," or, "We shouldn't do that." I was the one to weigh the risk against the reward and find the risk greater. For all my want of adventure, I would still only go so far.

I would only go climb so far up the tree. I would only swing so high on the swing. I would only walk so far along the unknown trail.

Today while I was at the park with my brother, I realized I haven't changed much. I still have that fear of falling that keep me from climbing higher or jumping of the swing. In spite of the fact that I am now older and supposedly different, I still focus on the risks.

Sometimes in life it is so easy to get caught up in trying to be prepared and trying to be safe that we put ourselves in bubbles. For fear of failing, for fear of falling, we shy away from potentially painful or even just awkward situations. It can be easy to look at a situation and decide that there is too much risk.

What I'm slowly learning though (very, very slowly learning), is that sometimes the risks are worth it.

Tonight, when I actually for once in my life swung as high as I could for as long as I could, I thought about all the great things that have happened because I took a chance. It may not have been easier, and yeah, maybe there were a few risks that ended in disaster, but they were worth it. Because of chances taken, I've made new friends, tried new things, I've  learned and I've grown.

Swinging as I high as I could, breathing in the cool night air, ignoring the feeling of my stomach dropping, I realized thought about how life is risky.

And you know, life is worth the risk.

Reading and Living

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one. -George RR. Martin

At my first reading of this, I agreed wholeheartedly. As a bookworm, I understand the ability of books to carry you off on adventures. A good book has the power to transport you to the world outside while you are still inside. It allows you to experience other worlds and places without ever leaving your home.

But a great book does more. A great book takes you on those adventures and leaves you wanting to go out and experience it for yourself.

See great books don't just transport you, they create a desire. They describe and explain in such a way that makes you crave the experience.

When I think back to myself as a kid, the stories I loved most almost always made me want to do something. Because of a book, I found myself wishing to go to the Arctic and see the Northern Lights. Because of a book, learning to sail has been on my bucket list for years. Because of a book, I wanted to travel, I yearned to discover.

Books have given me dreams; dreams that are so outside of myself and occasionally against myself that sometimes I'm amazed I want them. Great writing will do that to you. It makes you want to go experience the world.

So in my writing, I don't want to be satisfied with creating an adventure for the reader to be apart of. I want to write tales that will inspire people to go have adventures of their own. Reading should make you want to leap into action. You should come away from a book with new ideas and renewed spirit.

A great book makes you feel like anything is possible, and makes you want to try.

A great book makes you put down the books,
                                                                      and live.