Ode to the Great Unknown.

I would rather stumble a thousand times

Attempting to reach a goal,

Than to sit in a crowd

In my weather-proof shroud

A shriveled and self-satisfied soul.

I would rather be doing and daring

All of my error filled days,

Than watching, and waiting, and dying

Smug in my perfect ways.

I would rather wonder and blunder,

Stumbling blindly ahead,

Than for safety's sake

Lest I make a mistake

Be sure, be safe, be dead.

Read this in an email from a friend of mine, and it reminds me of what I've learnt while I was in Outward Bound School as a teenager. It was a short 5-day course, but it was a life changing one. It was one where I learnt to curb my fears for things unknown. Being fearless is not the key... taking on each challenge is. Willingness to step out of one's comfort zone both physically and mentally is. It is not easy, the effort put in at that critical moment is vital. That experience taught me that making mistakes is alright -- unwillingness to venture to the unknown is not.