I don’t know who wrote this short bit of wisdom, but it popped into my mind the first time Laura mentioned Risk-a-Day to me, so I searched until I found it.

To laugh
is to risk appearing a fool.
To weep
is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another
is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings
is to risk rejection.
To place your dreams before the crowd
is to risk ridicule.
To love
is to risk not being loved in return.
To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds
is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing; has nothing; is nothing. She may avoid suffering and sorrow, but she cannot learn, feel, change, grow or love. Chained by her certitudes, she is a slave. She has forfeited her freedom. Only a person who takes risks is free.”

As I read this again after so many years, I wondered what “new risks” might be appropriate for me now. Is there a new freedom to learn?

To be still and quiet
is to risk hearing my own soul’s voice.
To let go of certainty
is to risk not knowing.
To let go of seeking approval
is to risk being unacceptable.
To let go of control
is to risk giving someone else the lead.

Maybe some risks are particularly appropriate for certain times in our lives. What is appropriate for you, then, at this time in your life?

Janie Cook is a retired teacher who lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, Gareth. She shares her days with family and friends (a precious privilege), facilitates a bereaved parents’ support group and enjoys digging in the Texas Hill Country dirt & learning about natural gardening.
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