Fearless?

When I was in Phoenix I went up Camelback mountain. (Read two blogs ago.) When I was getting ready to leave the house my mom said I was the "fearless" one between me and my brother. My mom brought up an example of me being fearless and it not having a great outcome. I didn't protest at the time, but the incident she was referring to was because of a mechanical failure, and nothing due to me being "fearless"

I thought about this comment and mentioned it to my friend Terry who was hiking up the mountain with me. Actually, he was in the lead the whole time and not breathing hard during any part of the hike. The guy is a fucking machine with a cardio-vascular system that is astonishing. (His at rest heart rate is around 44 beats per minute. Not bad for a 47 year old.) (And I got to say that it always makes me crazy to do stuff with him. He kinda can't be beat.)

Anyway, Terry thought about the comment for a moment and said it was a calculated risk. It really wasn't being "fearless". My mom was concerned I might fall of the mountain or need a helicopter rescue. It apparently happened in the past month or two. She made it sound like it was happening daily.

Life is kind of a calculated risk. Depending on who you are, there's different level of risks. I walk on I-beams when rigging. My risk level is markedly different than most people. I drove to Phoenix in the rain to get home before Christmas. My brother waited a day until the crazy weather had cleared. But I have also been a PA and driven pass vans, cube trucks, 20' trucks, 24' trucks, a 5 ton stake bed. I have a different experience driving than he does. Or most people. I have driven in rain and snow and dust storms. I just drive carefully and pay close attention to the other drivers on the road. I got to admit the drive over to AZ was sketchy.

So am I fearless? Not really. I do like jumping off of things though...