In any challenge you face, any risk you encounter, there comes that moment of truth when you just have to go for it. Point the skis down the hill and hope for the best. But I’ve noticed that many people who are also embarking on their 3rd third are less and less inclined to go for it.
And honestly, it makes them seem old. I can’t always tell if their reticence toward risk is due to their aging or if it’s the other way around: maybe risk-taking (or adventure as I like to call it) is what helps keep you young.
As I suggested in my last post, adventure – going for it – can come in many forms. I’m fortunate to also have a few close friends who indeed exemplify the go for it spirit, and in my next few posts, I’d like to share their stories.
I’ve known friend one since we were in 7th grade. No surprise that at that age, girls were often on our minds (ok, always on our minds). But my friend was unusually shy, especially around girls, and he carried that into adulthood. Eventually though, he fell in love, married, and raised two beautiful children (and is now a grandfather!).
Unfortunately, as happens so often these days, the marriage ended in divorce, and the parting was not completely amicable. Post-divorce, his friends set him up on a few blind dates that didn’t go great, and perhaps understandably, my friend reverted to his former disposition and did not have another date for 7 years. It could have easily continued like that, but one day he bumped into an attractive lady whom he had briefly met on a previous occasion. She reminded him of the meeting, and they struck up a conversation which quickly led to a friendship where they were seeing each other every week.
It began to occur to my friend that maybe the death of his love life was greatly exaggerated. The more time they spent together, the more it seemed their friendship might blossom into something more, and with each passing week his feelings grew stronger. Alas, love is a fickle thing; his lady friend had gone through a bad divorce herself, which in her case seemed to close off her ability to be intimate. A sort of cat and mouse game ensued, leaving my friend feeling confused, frustrated, and ultimately greatly disappointed, for the relationship eventually came to an end.
Easy as it may have been for my friend to call it quits on women for good, his feelings had been rekindled, and he took what was for him the extraordinary step of signing on to a dating app. That may not sound like such a big deal to you, but then you don’t know my friend. This is someone we once kidnapped and locked into the back seat of a car with a girl in an attempt to force the issue. (News flash: teenage boys do stupid things.)
As of this writing, my friend has had dates with a few ladies from the app, and while none has yet developed into an intimate relationship, he is in the game, his skis are pointed down the hill.
How this will turn out is of course uncertain. My friend may end up getting very hurt, but that’s what makes it an adventure. Whatever the outcome, he has inspired me by having the courage to buck a lifelong tendency and go for something that is most definitely worth it. Oh, and he’s 60.
My 3rd Third 