The Unlived Life?

"Don't be afraid to die...be afraid of the unlived life."

from "Tuck Everlasting."

I get it.  Live life to it's fullest...live out loud. We only have one chance at this life. I truly grasp the idea.

My question is, how? How can you freely do all you want to do, grab life by the horns and live when you have so many other responsibilities? I can't just quit my job, travel the world, save the world, make a difference in a large way.

Does it have to be this dramatic, or is it living through the little things? And, should we just be content with that? What if I want to live in a bigger way than I currently am? Like BIG! Not just going through the motions....staying up too late, contemplating deep thoughts on a stupid blog, get up late, rush to work while putting my make-up on in the car, make sure someone picks CJ up from school, go home exhausted and lay on my couch and look foward to a jam-packed weekend, just to be extremely exhausted and do it all again.

Is this living? Am I meant for more?

Dang Hollywood movies!

Rollercoasters & Risks

Tonight I went to an amusement park with my husband and son, CJ. This is the first year that CJ has been tall enough to ride some actual roller coasters outside of the kiddie area. He rode two new coasters tonight and enjoyed them both...but it wasn't quite that easy.

As we were waiting in line for the last roller coaster, he was trying to talk himself out of riding it. He asked a lot of questions, "How fast does it go?...Will my arms get cut off by something sharp if I stick them out?..." He even tried to get out of the line.

I know my son probably better than anyone. I knew he would love this ride. I just needed to reassure him that I would not let him ride anything that would harm him. As we approached the lines for the individual carts, he agreed to get in the front seat line. Fast forward...he absolutely LOVED it. He wanted to get in line again!

This little experience got me thinking about the risks in our lives that we're approached with. Sometimes what we know or think to be safe is much more comfortable than trying something new for fear of "getting our arms cutoff." We can't see 10 minutes, one day or even five years into the future. To get on a fast moving cart and take a rollercoaster ride that may be out of our control is scary. But, in the end, the twists, turns and hills is what gives us the adrenaline rush and we'll never know what fun lies ahead if we refuse to get on.

So here's what I'm thinkin': Take the risks that you know are safe and ride it out...or else you'll never know the fun that comes with it.

I admit...this gets harder to do as you get older (both literal and philosophical rollercoasters!)