Reaching Out--Taking Chances

  It’s a daunting task, to reach out to someone who may or may not be receptive. Feelings of fear, uncertainty, and angst prevail, and many times may prevent us from reaching out to someone with whom we long to connect. It may be an estranged family member, a long lost friend, an ex-love, or a situation much more complicated.

It can be an extremely difficult decision (and a risky one) to make the first effort to connect. No matter what the situation may be, we must ask ourselves: What holds us back? What do we risk? What are our expectations?

The people who have come into our lives, no matter when, no matter how, no matter in what form, have entered our lives for a reason. Some of them we are happy to let drift through. But what about those with whom we constantly crave reconnection? What of those who have left a gaping void? What about the people who knock on the door of our hearts on a daily basis? Should we extend ourselves by braving the risk that things will never be the same? Risking the possibility of rejection?

“Drive fast, take chances.” Not exactly sage advice but, as she approached 90 years old, my grandmother used to impart those words to me every time I got into my car. I knew she was being facetious, but I also knew there was a deeper significance to what she was saying. She was not particularly a risk-taking woman… In her day and age, you couldn’t afford to be so…. But in those words, she relayed a certain wisdom to me. She taught me how to take chances no matter the outcome. She taught me that life is fleeting and we have to take hold and act fast without reservation. She taught me anything that is worth having is worth taking the risk.

Easier said than done? Of course! We must move beyond our ego and be willing to risk rejection. We must be willing to risk who we think we are, and allow ourselves to be who we are meant to become. This may not always be as clear as it seems, and it may come to us in unexpected ways.

Most importantly, as Socrates put it, “Know thyself.”  No matter the outcome of your efforts to reconnect, resolve, or reunite, stay true to yourself.  In doing so, you will always have the strong and dependable leg of integrity to stand on.

And in the words of one wise old lady, “Drive fast, take chances!” (symbolically speaking)