A couple of weeks ago an old friend from college was in town on business so we got together and had dinner.  As expected we reminisced about old times and discussed the paths that life had taken us.  When I left school I took a drive around the country in an old Ford Pinto and he remarked about how he was worried about me.  This was in the days before cell phones and internet so contact with anyone was pretty sparse.  He said he later realized that his worry was unfounded because I always seemed to be able to “dodge the bullets” very well.  I don’t think that it was dodging bullets as much as making smart decisions when taking risks.  For example, I bought a repair manual for the car and read it cover to cover before I left on the journey.  I personally inspected the entire break system before I even knew how to drive the car properly (it was a manual transmission).

I learned a lot from that trip, I learned about people and places, I learned about cars (and still do most of my own maintenance), I learned about self confidence and I learned about the value of taking risks.  I learned that it’s ok to do something that might be considered dangerous as long as intelligent dissensions are made and safety is considered.

Am I able to “dodge bullets?”  I don’t know, but I do know that I’m able to take risks and achieve a positive outcome, often doing so is really fun.

Lori Buff is a successful artist and website designer from East Atlanta Village where she lives with her partner and five dogs. Lori enjoys working in the garden, riding motorcycles and doing volunteer work but when she's not busy running around, she can be found engrossed in a good book.
Email this author | All posts by Lori Buff