To Risk

This blog was inspired by a conversation I had today with my (amazing) boyfriend, Andrew. (Yes, you are amazing.) While talking about future plans, careers, and endeavors, I started to feel overwhelmed. At one point in the past, I thought I had my life all mapped out, at another, I was okay with having no idea where I was headed. Now I suppose I'm somewhere in-between. I have to remind myself that even though I'm 4 months away from getting my degree, I'm still barely 22. I have time to figure it all out. The future is a scary and exciting thing---it's an unknown, a wild card. Life can turn out one way or another, but you'll never know unless you take a risk.

"To Risk"

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool,
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out to another is to risk involvement,
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self
To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss
To love is to risk not being loved in return,
To hope is to risk despair,
To try 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.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow,
But he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live.
Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.
The pessimist complains about the wind;
The optimist expects it to change;
And the realist adjusts the sails.

-William Arthur Ward