I was walking from my apartment to the dining hall this morning for breakfast before my 9:15am Philosophy class. A young boy on his way to school turned the corner ahead of me, so I was walking several paces behind him. We started to pass a church with a parking lot that backs right up to the sidewalk. There is a curb that divides the parking spaces from the walkway. Seeing this, the boy jumped up to the curb and began to walk on it as if it were a balance beam. I tried not to let him see me grinning at this.
I used to do that when I was a kid. We all did, didn’t we? When you’re a child, it’s not enough to just walk somewhere. You look for every possible opportunity to challenge yourself, to test your prowess. Whether it’s balancing on the curb or trying not to step on the cracks, there was a constant search for stimulation even in a simple walk to school. That search fades as we grow older. Now we just look for every opportunity to make life easier. Sometimes we drive to campus if we don’t feel like walking the whole way. Sometimes we just stick with the job we know is a safe bet, rather than going after the one that will challenge us even if it means possible failure.
I know people who play it safe in life. I also know people who constantly seek out challenges that involve risk. Guess which ones are happier?
