PROMPT: If you were to take at least one chance, what would it be? What would you do? 
I feel so convicted. So very convicted. To the core of my very innards. Is it simply butterflies that I am feeling? Is it a massive infiltration of pure fear being infused into my molecules? Is it a state of confusion that I am experiencing because I cannot answer this question with a single, spontaneous response?
Should it be a single, spontaneous response? Is this “chance” supposed to look like a pop of color on a canvas or is it part of a plan — all mapped out with color-coded push pins on my vision board? Am I the only one who feels this way when asked this question? Please, someone. Anyone.
Wait. There is only one question here. Only one. I catch myself wanting to answer in outline form in my Thinking Pad. I want to get out my Green Trails map and examine the topography of the trail ahead of me. I want to know how many miles it is to the overlook. I want to know the point where the trail flattens out a bit. How many switchbacks are on this trail? And what is the elevation gain? Have I brought enough water? Did I bring enough sustenance? Wait, is my boot starting to rub a blister?
I write this and know how terribly apprehensive I sound. I love being alive and having fun and dancing and doing crazy things with friends and meeting new people and learning new music and traveling alone and learning new skills and . . .
A moment of clarity tells me that I am turning all of this into a gale-force force-field analysis. It is true, in a desire to cultivate mindfulness, that I like to focus on what matters to me: Do I focus on the summit? The next switchback? The trillium and skunk cabbage along the trail? And how many switchbacks are on this trail? What is the elevation gain? If I knew that there were going to be 49 switchbacks with a 4000-foot elevation gain, would I be tempted to turn around and find an alternative route? An alternative peak altogether?
Does life really need to be analyzed and dissected, answer by answer, or is it a journey that involves choices that are made one small, sustainable,sometimes risky step at at time? I think of the time when I hiked up some crazy-steep trail in the French Alps. It was an epic effort but so satisfying to reach the top. As for taking one chance today? I’ve got this. Easy.
Back to the question:
If you were to take at least one chance, what would it be?
My answer: Yes. Yes to the summit, the switchbacks, the skunk cabbage, the blisters. I am going to look to the summit and hang the switchbacks. I’ll pick huckleberries and identify flowers that are new to me. I know what it is I want. I have a vision. I can see it and I can smell it and I can feel how good it feels to be on the path. And I want it. I want to take that chance now, please.
The Unseen Words Project 
What would I do? I would START! I tend to delay decisions because I project too far into the future, wondering if I will like the final destination. As I write this, I realize that starting – somewhere, anywhere, in any direction – may be enough to change my perspective and to get clarity on where I would like to be/go. If my sense of direction feels so hazy in the “right here, right now,” I may be able to get more clarity if I take that first step and move forward. I just need to START! This is very inspiring to keep moving and to take action!
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I love what you have written here. And it is inspiring to me as I experience what it is you are describing. Clarity is something that I seek, yet Starting encompasses the ACTION that I need to take in order to find Clarity. Seek or Find? I want to Find! Sitting around and imagining Reality or Clarity is impossible. We read so much about intentions and positive thinking — and I do agree that there is immense power in positive thinking! — but Action is where we gain experiences and learn. By experiencing and learning, we can grow into a new place of Action. And how do I do this? By STARTing! Thanks for the inspiration!
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I agree that after you begin the journey, the terrain may look slightly different than you anticipated and require a new roadmap or plan. We simply can’t anticipate every step of the trail. We can map it, but Nature has a way of changing the trail. That’s what thrills me about starting something new … the unknown. Who or what will be the cooperative components I encounter along the way? Let’s face it: We’ll never really get There, will we? After we begin something new, we stand in a new Reality. Our thinking and feelings about it are different than when we stared. We see more, or different, possibilities. The Universe expands as we reach for the new and improved version of what we thought we wanted. And isn’t that why we’re here?
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Yes! The Unknown. I really like what you have written here about starting something new. It is a journey, intended or otherwise. Even if we choose to sit still and do nothing, we are doing something along the journey. There is a great deal of expansion and I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the grandeur of it all. I am on a roll right now with my 30-Day Challenge of Trying Something New and all sorts of crazy things are happening. Good crazy. Every little step takes me somewhere. I keep thinking about Baby Steps and how they truly do all add up. Today, I am taking on a new challenge of learning something new. It is exciting. I could not have anticipated Today a week ago, a month ago, a year ago. It is all so much a part of what you write about cooperative elements. Thanks so much for sharing!
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