It’s cold outside.

I don’t know where you live but where I live, it’s cold.

When I was about thirteen years old, it got cold just like it is now and stayed that way for at least a week. Everything iced over, including the pond in a neighborhood close by. My friend Mitch and I decided it would be a good idea to walk across the sheet of ice and see if we could make it the entire distance of the pond (we did absurdly stupid things, all the time.)

As Mitch and I started making steps from the safety of land and closer to the middle of the pond, the intensity grew. Every step was a risk. We both knew that that would be some serious consequences if the ice cracked and we fell through, but neither of us could resist the risk.

We made it to just about the half-way mark of the lake when the ice began to crack. It sounded like a big ol’ banjo string being plucked under a plastic cup. The ice made a split that started at my heel and shot directly to Mitch’s big toe. We had gone as far as we were willing to go. We chickened-out and slowly made our way back to land. It was a good call; our physical well-being was in jeopardy.

Age takes care of a lot of stupidity. I take far less unnecessary risks than I did when I was thirteen. However, often times I avoid the risks that I should be taking when the only thing in jeopardy is my ego. There are situations when I camouflage surrender and call it wisdom. I tell myself that the “right” or “safe” thing to do is a decision based on experience and knowledge, when the truth is, it is really about fear.

Avoiding risks while trying to make progress in an effort to protect ego is not wisdom, it’s cowardice.

Go for it.

Peace, Love, and all things Beef related,

Beefcake