one step

a poem on risk

I read the famous “Man in the Arena”¹ speech again today and it did what it usually does: it reminded me there is little honour found in a life without risk. The most meaningful (and fun) moments of my life have come on the other end of stepping off the cliff of certainty.

There is a man inside me that wants me to cling to the little control I have, and avoid decisions that come at a cost. I’m not going to listen to him though.

---

one step

the best part about taking risks 
is being

one step further
from the crowd of casual observers
one step 
from the version of yourself more concerned with preservation than life
one step 
out of the range of perfectionism's call

you could fail
you could fall on your face
proving all of the critics 
(including yourself) 
right

but the dirt on your jersey
would make it impossible to confuse you for a spectator

no, you couldn't be mistaken
for another opinionated critic
or the driver of a half hearted existence

you'd be one step too close
to our heroes

—JG

1. https://www.worldfuturefund.org/Documents/maninarena.htm