On leaping into the unknown.

[randomness]

"It is sometimes a mistake to climb; it is always a mistake never even to make the attempt.
"If you do not climb you will not fall. This is true. But is it that bad to fail, that hard to fall?"

"Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly."

Comments

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite Zen proverbs is, "If you leap, the net will open." I'm a big fan of that attitude. :)

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

I like that!

[kimberlogic.livejournal.com]

I needed to see this now - thank you for sharing.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

*hug*

Good luck.

[monkeygod.livejournal.com]

"Our 'falling places' are many: we tumble feetlast into disaster, stumble upon blessings, sink into pessimism, slip into love, and sometimes even let our knees buckle under us in laughter. I like the last one the best."

I see your Neil Gaiman and raise you an Edie Carey ;)

[karakara98.livejournal.com]

Also very timely for me. Thanks!

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

:) Glad to help! Good luck.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

*hug* Go you!

And you know how often (rarely?) I know what I'm doing, too. :)

[outlawradio.livejournal.com]

That is awesome. What is it *from*?

[drucifer25.livejournal.com]

The Sandman, Book VII.

<lj user=drucifer25> was close, but...

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

...it's actually from a ten-page story called "Fear of Falling"--originally published in Vertigo Preview and collected in Book VI of Sandman: Fables and Reflections--written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Kent Williams.

(attributions from The Sandman Companion, by Hy Bender.)

[krlisue.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly."

Not to be the pessimist in the room, (or possibly just to play devil's advocate), but there IS a second sentence in that quote.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Hmmm.

Which sentence are you referring to? I'm looking at it right now, and I see that the Sandman follows the first quote with:
"Sometimes you wake, and sometimes, yes, you die. But there is a third alternative."

(I'm guessing you're not referring to "Okay everybody! Let's take it from the top." That follows my second quote.)

[krlisue.livejournal.com]

I have never read any Sandman. I was talking about the quote, which I pasted into my comment. Which is still:

"Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly."

The first sentence being: Sometimes you wake up.
The second sentence being: Sometimes the fall kills you.
The third sentence being: And sometimes, when you fall, you fly.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

So, if there weren't any second sentence, it wouldn't be any big deal: your choices would be between waking up and flying. No downside there, so no risk, so no tough decision.

The point is, however, that life is full of risk. There are difficult decisions everywhere. If you shy away from making them for fear of failing, you'll pass up a lot of opportunities you might not see if you focus on the danger.

Put another way: a risk-averse life is a self-limiting way to live.