Tag Archives: safety net

Gut Versus Logic

November 1, 2019 blairpatrickschuyler Leave a comment

“Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.” ―Paul Tillich

On the precipice of a monumental life shift, I stand at the crossroads of familiar and foreign, watching the cargo bay doors slide open. Squinting in the sun, I think back to everything that’s led me to this particular moment, place, and time.

Like the resulting ripple from a stone’s journey into the pond, small single actions can rewrite the rules and codes branded into a stubborn psyche, resulting in a wholly altered destination.

Probably more than most, I’m hyper-nostalgic for the way a precise snapshot in time felt in my bones. That particular variety of “firsts” is forever lost to experience and the passing of time. But most major decisions are still weighted with the understanding that each step forward is also a step away. Making peace with that form of travel can bring blisters, and dry boots can only work so many wonders. So it’s either lace up or leave.

Any new frontier first presents itself as shadowed woods and crooked trails. Then the routes and roads become routine, the air smells the same, and a notion of home is born from repetition. To make that first push onto any path with an invisible destination is equal parts intimidating and exhilarating. Upending a fairly entrenched life for the distant promise of a more defined, aligned blueprint is a dive into the dark without a sense of the depth.

Trust is king.

Believe in yourself and your intentions. Close your eyes and leap.

Let the safety net reveal itself during the descent.

Adolescence Interrupted

Holes in the Safety Net

March 31, 2018 blairpatrickschuyler Leave a comment

How can you flee a falling tower before you’re out of cards?

More than half of all Americans have less than $1,000 in savings, and 39% have no savings at all. That’s a terrifying statistic and one that is often overlooked. But the reality exists that most of us are wildly unprepared for the unexpected.

Life generally sits on a seesaw, the ratio of good times and bad ultimately arriving at an equal-weighted balance. But without any cushion to protect the majority of us from financial impact, riding a seesaw is more like sharing a seat with a boulder.

Perpetual pecuniary redlining not only impacts day-to-day existence, but also wreaks havoc on mental, physical, and emotional health. Locked inside the cycle of the “slide,” we are left scraping the dirt at the lip of the ledge, praying we find a grip. Ultimately, the short bursts of strength aren’t enough to pull ourselves back to safety. Dejected and out of options, we succumb to the fall.

The rubber band routine wears thin over time and the motivation to change course gets buried beneath the hopes and aspirations of yesterday. Hence, a population awash in poverty, poor health, and homelessness takes root.

Staring ahead to see nothing but an empty road makes turning around to remember where you’ve been that much harder to swallow.

Internal and external factors each play their part, and there are only so many solutions to offer. But in a technological world that continuously grows faster, less patient, and more disconnected, the endgame is something worth considering.

We’re moving at the speed of light. But what are we hurtling toward, and who gets left behind?

Adolescence Interrupted

Pendulum Swings

September 24, 2014 blairpatrickschuyler Leave a comment

We are all walking on a wire.

There is an overarching sense that we are safe and secure, our affairs are in order, and those we care about are sliding through life unscathed. We tend to the duties of the day, accepting that sunsets follow rush hours and cars quietly return to driveways. We view health as something in stasis, and radical deviations from these anticipated paths sit just outside our realm of belief.

Locked in the microcosm of immediate thoughts, results, and gratifications, we blindly throw darts and hope for bullseyes.

But, as Mr. Newton noted, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Now, if we bowed under the weight of this awareness on a daily basis, we’d be fast-tracked to insanity. We can’t sit in the car thinking about what happens when the driver in the opposite lane spills hot coffee on his lap. It would make life impossible to live. We would be reduced to gun shy shut-ins, compulsively petting cats and studying DEFCON levels.

But, that doesn’t mean we should strap on the blindfold, secured with a Palomar, and start stumbling into walls. As with everything, a careful balance needs to be found. It’s part acceptance and part defiance, and these two opposing forces don’t normally play nicely in the sandbox.

The world is not built on level roads. Aim for greatness, but keep an eye on the edge. Even when there’s room to fly, winds will inevitably change. Build a safety net before you leap, or someone will have to catch you when you fall.

Solitary Alignment

Tag Archives: safety net

Gut Versus Logic

Holes in the Safety Net

Pendulum Swings

A collection of reflections from pedaling through life on a bicycle built for one