Risking

I was doing some house cleaning today. Hard to believe, I know. I even missed dance class because I just couldn't stand the condition of the living room anymore. I got a lot done in that hour. And I came across a little sign that used to hang in my office when I was a social worker (I worked in therapeutic foster care before moving to Indiana; my degree is in social work). It is credited only to "Love Unlimited" but I'm pretty sure Barry White's backup singers didn't write it. Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts! RISKING To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To expose your feelings is to risk exposing your true self. To place your ides, your dreams before a crowd is to risk. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair. To try is to risk failure. But, risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing at all. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing. They may avoid suffering and sorrow but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live. Chained by their certitudes, they are a slave. They have forfeited their freedom. Only a person who risks is free.