Bad egg-hunting Decisions
As a child, I liked to set things on fire. I climbed trees and sometimes fell out of them, I jumped off cliffs into the ocean and swam with caimans in the Amazon rainforest. I’ve bounced off of trampolines, climbed onto roofs, and eaten some not so pleasant bugs, yet all of these experiences have had one thing in common: they were risks, but calculated ones.
When you are young, there are millions of things you want to try, thousands of possibilities to find something you enjoy. It’s great to try new things, to “put yourself out there” and learn from these events. I have had to learn the hard way, however, that risk-taking isn’t always about doing things you’ve never done before. You have to make smart decisions before doing so, and this particular time, I did not.
I was in fourth grade. My family and I were celebrating easter and had decided to go out on an egg hunt. My parents would hide the brightly colored eggs with candy inside around our yard while we waited impatiently for them behind the house, buzzing with excitement. My sisters, like the good children they were, would sit quietly on the wall and talk. I, meanwhile, had too much energy. I hopped around from rock to rock, ran around the palm trees, and in the end ended up on the brick wall beside my sisters. But if you thought I was going to sit, you were wrong. My eyes glued onto the window sill across from us, and I laughed to myself. What an easy jump, I thought. Wouldn’t this be fun? My sisters eyed me carefully, wondering what I would do.
“Watch me!” I cackled as I readied myself for launch.
“Wait-” Before any of them could say another word, I leaped.
Too soon I was on the ground and wondering why one of my legs had gone numb. My littlest sister screamed and ran towards our parents saying: “Mackenna is inquired!” since she had no idea how to pronounce ‘injured’. I glanced down and my head spun. It was not a pleasant sight. I’ll spare you the details, but that night, instead of going easter egg hunting, I was driven to a hospital. There’s also now a scar that I’ll have for the rest of my life.
Long story short, I want to leave you all with a bit of advice. I’m not that old, I’m not that wise, but my parents have advised me enough times that I know when I shouldn’t do something. It’s not smart to ask if you can walk on bridge railings or climb onto the roofs of cars. Now I know that I shouldn’t do those things because I know what will happen after. To all you risk-takers out there: think twice. Think about what your parents would say, think about what consequences there will be.
Yes, you should take risks. Yes, you should discover new things. By all means, live your life to its fullest and be proud of the brave things you have done. Go skydiving, scuba diving, ask someone out, or play sports, who knows? What happened to me hasn’t impacted my physical or mental being for life, only taught me a lesson. Some people aren’t as lucky, and the outcomes are worse. So take risks, yes, but calculated ones. Make sure that your experience is wonderful and doesn’t leave you regretting it for the rest of your life.