Going Too Far

That canoe race I did back in June tried to kill me, but it didn’t. It did leave a few scars, though.

Last Friday, I got the results back from a nerve study I had completed. You see, my arm is still numb and not working right and I’ve got numbness in both feet and several toes. Long story short, my doctor said I burned up a bunch of nerves all around my body. He said there’s nothing that can be done to fix it and maybe things will turn back on eventually. He asked me during one of my appointments if I was in pain during the race. I said,” Oh, heck yes. Tons of pain.” He then asked,” Why didn’t you stop?” My answer was simple. “I couldn’t.”

After the call with the doc, I thought to myself,” If I had it all to do over again would I do it?” The answer is yes; Without a doubt. It was one of the best and most memorable experiences of my life.

There’s a passage in Hemingway’s Farewell to Arms that comes to mind. “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too, but there will be no special hurry. – Ernest Hemingway. Several years ago, I was eating dinner alone in Las Vegas. That night I wrote a story.  The story was about one day me going too far and ending up dead. I’m genuinely okay with that because I want to use what is left of my life to test my boundaries, live life to the fullest, and most importantly set a good example for my three kids.

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T.S. Eliot

I hope you Find Your Adventure and Live Your Life.