A couple of weeks ago my wife and I went trail running in 94 degree weather. Cincinnati has been hot this summer, and all that week had been brutally hot. But we wanted to train on the trails and didn’t have time to do so until the afternoon, so we went running. While we weren’t looking forward to it on the drive there, we finished the run sweaty, exhausted, and glad we did it.
Sometimes the best memories and the most fun times come from borderline stupid ideas. Being too risky can obviously lead to terrible consequences. But borderline stupid ideas, where you are outside your comfort zone but not totally idiotic - that’s the sweet spot. It might sound silly, but I do think there’s some wisdom to this. There’s a point where concerning about safety makes life no fun, and the opposite side of the spectrum is a life that is so risky that it is unmanageable in the long run. Pushing yourself toward the spectrum of risk without being overly stupid might be the way forward to making more joyful and meaningful memories.
In other words, live life in moderation. Living between a vice and a virtue, like being in the middle of courage and recklessness, is often the sweet spot of life. It’s good for us to find the middle ground, to jump out of our comfort zone and make more memories. Think about it – you probably remember more family vacations or trips with friends where something went wrong than when it went all perfectly. Those are what make memories, but we can’t have those memories unless we step out and do something. Maybe we just need to have a few more borderline stupid ideas.
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