What’s Up Next For You?

I was working on my journal of 1000 Things You Don’t Know About Me and came to the question, “What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?” Well I’m not particularly daring, and answers will most definitely vary widely depending on an individual’s definition. Our local ice cream shop has a sundae called the Dare to Be Great. It’s 21 scoops of ice cream topped with nuts, syrup, and lots of whipped cream. Oh, and if you can finish it in 1-hour, it’s free!

Several years ago, my nieces ordered a Baby Dare to Be Great, which was 10 scoops of ice cream topped with nuts, syrup, and lots of whipped cream. They didn’t finish it, but its a fun family memory and they did receive cheers and accolades not only from our group, but also from the surrounding ice cream patrons there at the time.

My recent journaling led to a conversation with MOH about doing daring things, and then morphed into talk about things that you’ve done that others wouldn’t be willing to do. He shrugged when I asked him about this. I reminded him that he went up in a hot air balloon. Not everybody would do that. In fact, that’s how he ended up in the air. My mom won a hot air balloon ride from a local aeronaut, and, decidedly not up for the adventure, gave her ticket to her son-in-law. “And what about your profession?” I pointed out. He’s a paramedic and people tell him all the time, “I couldn’t do what you do man.”

Also tying handily into my train of thought on this topic, I recently read a book by Sanjay Gupta (who has lived an incredible life as both a neurosurgeon and CNN correspondent) in which he posed the question, “When is the last time you’ve done something that you’ve never done before?” I can tell you from the context that he wasn’t referring to checking out that swank new restaurant that opened up down the street from you. But while Sanjay is off is off doing a cranial micro-surgery on a moving naval ship, I don’t thing everybody’s ‘thing’ has to be anything monumental.

I’ve done things that some people might find adventurous. I’ve traveled to South America twice, once taking an all day adventure down the Pan American highway. I’ve been to the top of the St. Louis Arch and the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower) when it was the tallest building in the world. These may seem daring to some, not so much to others. They definitely were things that I had never done before.

Next up as a new experience for me is a hyperbaric float. Have you heard of it? Also known as a sensory deprivation tank, the experience has come to be associated with health benefits, some claiming that it improves cardiovascular health by inducing deep relaxation that reduces stress levels and improves sleep. I’m game to try it, and I put it on my list of 22 things to do in 2022.

Big daring deal, or just for fun, what’s on your list?