When I recorded this I was not thinking of what happened 25 years ago, 9/11. But it seems fitting in the face of the largest act of terrorism against our country. The whole point of terrorism is in the name – to create fear, terror!
Doing hard things is always more difficult when the risks are great. So it was on 9/11 when 2,977 victims died and 343 NYC firefighters, 27 NYC police officers and 37 NYC Port Authority personnel sacrificed themselves.
In the United States, we live in the greatest country the world has ever known. Our freedoms give us limitless opportunities while providing us the ability to live quiet, peaceful lives. I’ve never done anything remotely close to the first responders who rushed in during 9/11. Today’s episode is not even a third cousin to that kind of “scary.” But fear is a funny thing – it has a drastic scope and scale. And it provides us a degree of courage we might not otherwise have – knowing that soldiers through history have risked (and often given) their lives – so the rest of us can battle our own much, much smaller fears.
Growing older well requires courage and resilience. Strength. Commitment. Endurance. Permit some encouragement to embrace the fears that may be stopping you from going forward. Do it anyway. Be smart. Be wiser! Above all, be thankful you have the ability and opportunity.
Randy
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There’s a difference between doing something dangerous and behaving recklessly. As we get older, understanding that difference may become more important than ever.
In this episode of Hot Springs Village Inside Out, I’m riding my Yamaha XMAX through Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, on wet roads. And yes, that makes me a little nervous.
But that’s also the point.
It’s easy, especially as we get older, to slowly make our lives smaller. We stop doing certain things because they make us uncomfortable. We avoid something new because we’re afraid we might fail, fall, look foolish, or discover that we’re not as capable as we once were.
Before long, fear can begin making decisions for us.
I don’t want that.
Learning to ride the XMAX has certainly reminded me that fear isn’t always a signal to stop. Sometimes fear is simply telling us, “Pay attention. This matters. You’re doing something unfamiliar.”
That doesn’t mean ignoring legitimate danger or taking foolish risks. Riding on wet pavement requires more caution. It means slowing down, staying smooth, increasing following distance, avoiding sudden inputs and respecting the conditions.
But there’s a big difference between respecting fear and surrendering to it.
Retirement can give us an extraordinary opportunity to try things we never had the time—or perhaps the courage—to try before. Maybe it’s riding a scooter. Maybe it’s traveling somewhere unfamiliar, learning a new skill, starting a business, making new friends, moving to a new community, creating something, or simply saying yes when our first instinct is to retreat to what feels safe.
One of the things I’ve discovered about riding around Hot Springs Village on the Yamaha XMAX is that the scooter is becoming more than transportation. It’s giving me experiences. It’s challenging me. And every time I do something that makes me a little uncomfortable and come out the other side, my world gets a little bigger.
Maybe that’s something worth protecting as we grow older.
We don’t need to become reckless. We don’t need to prove anything to anybody. But we should be careful about allowing fear to quietly take things away from us.
Do some scary things.
Be smart. Be careful. Respect the danger.
But don’t let fear shrink your life.
Sometimes that little knot in your stomach is a reminder that you’re still very much alive.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:13 — 13.4MB)
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