Stepping off the edge!
Unless we have isolated ourselves in a distant cabin in the woods, miles from our closest neighbor, away from the voices of others, the decisions we make, the choices we act on, will leave a mark on someone, somehow, at sometime. While some of our decisions can leave a long lasting and profound impact on others, most of our decisions, most of our acts are trivial and quickly forgotten. My decision to travel the United States by motorcycle during the course of this summer to make a documentary about a specific American experience will clearly impact my family and those I am close to. I too have my concerns. I am stepping away from a safe routine which I have become accustomed to. Like many of us, in many of our important life decisions, I am going into what seems to be an ill conceived idea, with great trepidation, and in all likelihood, ill prepared.
It reminds of the first time I stepped off a twelve-meter platform into the pristine water of Sherkston Quarry for the first time. I was sixteen years old, and I knew it wasn’t going to kill me, but I also knew that if I didn’t hit the water right, it was going to be very painful. In those moments that I spent moving at the speed of 32 feet per second squared toward the blue water of the quarry, I was in awe, I was in control, but not really. I hit the water feet first with an impact greater than I had imagined, and as burst up from the surface, I gave out a yell to dissipate the adrenaline rush that I felt surging through my body.
This journey which I am about to embark upon is not going to kill me, and if I hit it right, although not the same thrill as stepping off that platform, it will be a good thing. One may ask why, what for? Well, because it is right for me now, and hopefully in the end, my decisions, my actions will leave a long lasting and profoundly positive impact on others.