Have A Little Fun Along the Way

Practice Day at Indianapolis 

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”

― Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967

Why are people so afraid of dying that they decline to have a little fun and live along the way? We are all going to die - I would prefer to die having fun - to dying of boredom or fading away - dying in inches over a long period of years.  I am not one to take silly risks, I don't think I have ever said, "you'all ain't gona believe this!" and proceeded to do something stupid.  Not that I haven't done a few stupid things in my life, but nothing that resulted in permanent injury.  

So yes, I fly on anything that can get off the ground with a reasonable likelihood of returning safely to the ground, I ride bikes in traffic - and I don't always wear a helmet, I have been known to take short hikes on long trails, I have been to the desert, I love boats and the water, I swim in oceans where there are sharks, I eat odd and exotic foods and explore big cities - I will visit that sketchy neighborhood with great food or art.  

One of the programs in my office does development work in troubled places around the world.  At the office Christmas Holiday Party, I met and was talking to the head of security for that program.  I said there are places I would like to see but I won't go to like say Egypt.  He said, "don't worry, there a few places to avoid, but work with someone who knows what they are doing and you will be fine," he was in Egypt two weeks ago.  He did advise against Iraq and Afghanistan at the moment, but beyond that what is holding me back? (Time and money - but remember you can't take either one with you and you are going to die someday.) 

It is easy to fall into the routine of day-to-day life.  I try to change that up, take a different route to or from work, go someplace different for lunch, say Hi! to someone I pass by everyday and really don't know (there are 250 people in my office.)  Do something silly.  Have a lot of fun along the way, someday this will all be over - and who cares if you have the prettiest corpse in the mortuary, you'll be dead just the same.