Everything Can Kill You
Choose Something Fun
Winged dragonflies only live a few weeks to a few months, yet the beauty they bestow on the world and in the minds of humans is incredible.
All life is beautiful in its fragility — any day could be your last. Commutes are left unmade, some people never wake up, and others live long lives, but all leave huge holes in the hearts and lives of the people around them when they are gone.
I know I could be hit by a truck and not live to see the sun rise tomorrow, or I could develop a terminal illness that won’t let me see my next milestone birthday. Or, I could live adventurously for another hundred years and pass quietly in my sleep. No one knows for certain the time they have, that’s why it is so important to make every moment count.
Besides, everything can kill us.
If I counted all the ways I could die in a given day, I might never leave my house. But (outside of a pandemic where concern is not only for my own safety but for the safety of others), I get up every single day and choose to accept certain risks just to function as a productive member of society.
Some risk is worth it
I also calculate the risks of my many adventures while I travel and, more often than not, the risk is worth it. If I’m going to go out, it might as well be while having fun.
Sometimes, it is a very normal activity that turns out to be the riskiest — like walking and suddenly plunging through a rotten board and chipping your knee cap. The hours of walking through the Amazon at high altitude should have been more dangerous, but it was walking on a level deck that nearly killed me!
Sure, a ship can be capsized by a calving glacier, but if you don’t take the risk you’ll never get to see the incredible force of nature that sends shock waves through the air and big ocean waves crashing into your ship.
Without accepting the possibility of falling — and the knowledge that you probably won’t fall — you would never get on a plane or enjoy a helicopter ride to otherwise inaccessible canyons, waterfalls, craters, and lava flows. Without braving the darkness of the ocean, you’ll never see the majesty of giant manta rays, get to float with ancient turtles, or play with dolphins. Without facing the possibility of lions chasing you, how do you go on safari to see some of the most amazing creatures on earth?
What do you dream of doing?
Have you ever wanted to touch the clouds? Or dance under the stars? Have you dreamed of exploring the depth of oceans, or maybe fling over the world’s tallest peaks? Do it. Touch the clouds while you parasail, dance under the brightest stars you’ve ever seen, go scuba diving, and hop on that plane. Go sky-diving, bungee jumping, or canyon swinging.
If your time is uncertain, wouldn’t you rather know you lived your dream?
Knowing I don’t know how much time I have on this earth inspires me to want to do everything I possibly can. Instead of getting out the water when I spotted a reef shark near me by the Great Barrier Reef, I followed it. I watched the shark cruise along slowly with powerful and deliberate flicks of its tail — he was one of the most majestic animals I have ever seen.
I followed that shark for a long time.
If I had thought about the fact that that shark could easily have killed me, I would never have had such an amazing experience watching it swim. Plus, I would have missed the view of the octopus, parrot fish, massive coral heads, colorful clams, and giant schools of fish that I saw along the way.
If I have the choice of dying in a crash on my way to work or while on a gorgeous — albeit harrowing — drive though the Atlas Mountains on my way to Marrakesh, well, I know which one I’d prefer. I want to see all the beauty the world has to offer before I am nothing more than a memory.
If anything can kill me, I choose to live my life doing what I love and exploring all the world has to offer. And I think you should too.
Leana’s an avid world traveler who has been to over 40 countries and will be venturing to her 7th continent in 2022. She believes in ubuntu and that adventures make life worth living. To follow her journey as a plus-sized woman with unquenchable wanderlust as she continues to seek out all that the world has to offer, you can check out The Overweight Adventurer.
