Have you ever stopped a minute to ponder this question? I mean really break it down. Why did that chicken cross the road? He had so many other options. He could’ve gone right, he could’ve gone left, he could’ve gone back the way he came from.
But something stopped that chicken from doing any of those other things. Something beckoned that chicken to CROSS the ROAD. Now was that the safe choice? Probably not. But who’s to say if the chicken went right that he wouldn’t drop off the edge of a ravine to his own certain death. And how do you know for sure that if he went left he wouldn’t find himself in a barren land with no color and no sounds, no food and no companionship.
And going back the way he came from? That may have been the worst option of all. Because maybe what he came from was not what he had always envisioned for himself. Back there, he knew what the outcome would be. Crossing the road was an unknown, and it was the option that brought him the farthest from where he had been.
You may think that chicken was stupid for crossing the road. Maybe you assume it was just a random decision – not even something he contemplated.
But I beg to differ. That chicken was brave. He did the most unconventional thing he could have done. He took a risk.
We could all learn a little something from that chicken. When is the last time you took a risk?
Now I’m not talking about suddenly going out and strapping on a helmet so that you can live on the edge in the fabulous world of extreme sky-diving. I’m not saying you should promptly drop everything and move to Tahiti. And please, don’t sell all your possessions tomorrow so that you can live your life-long dream as a bush-pilot. Although, if any of those things really speak to you… by all means, knock yourself out.
I’m telling you that sometimes you just have to say, F*ck Convention! You want to wear white after Labor Day? Do it! You don’t want to drive a mini-van even though every other mother on the planet insists you can’t live without one? Then don’t!
You want to start a brand new career or go back to school at fifty? Go for it! You always wanted to visit Paris? Oui en effet! You want to go to the grocery store with no bra and no makeup? No one’s stopping you! (and no one will notice)
My point is that every now and then we have to step out of our comfort zone – or other people’s comfort zone - in order to really experience life. And we do not have to fit into any mold. Embrace your unique way of thinking and doing things. Celebrate your crazy! Lighten up, and re-invent yourself once in a while.
Every decision we make shapes us. Every path we choose leads to a different outcome. We can play it safe, or we can dare to venture into uncharted waters.
I always loved those stories with the “write your own endings”, when I was younger. It was fun for me to pick the craziest options every time I had to choose. It certainly made the story more entertaining, and much less predictable.
Playing it safe is all well and good, but we will always wonder what we missed by not choosing that other, less traveled path.
Take risks. Be bold. Life if short and it is what we make of it. You can be a chicken, and revel in the comfort of the familiar, or you can be a Chicken, and cross the damn road.
But something stopped that chicken from doing any of those other things. Something beckoned that chicken to CROSS the ROAD. Now was that the safe choice? Probably not. But who’s to say if the chicken went right that he wouldn’t drop off the edge of a ravine to his own certain death. And how do you know for sure that if he went left he wouldn’t find himself in a barren land with no color and no sounds, no food and no companionship.
And going back the way he came from? That may have been the worst option of all. Because maybe what he came from was not what he had always envisioned for himself. Back there, he knew what the outcome would be. Crossing the road was an unknown, and it was the option that brought him the farthest from where he had been.
You may think that chicken was stupid for crossing the road. Maybe you assume it was just a random decision – not even something he contemplated.
But I beg to differ. That chicken was brave. He did the most unconventional thing he could have done. He took a risk.
We could all learn a little something from that chicken. When is the last time you took a risk?
Now I’m not talking about suddenly going out and strapping on a helmet so that you can live on the edge in the fabulous world of extreme sky-diving. I’m not saying you should promptly drop everything and move to Tahiti. And please, don’t sell all your possessions tomorrow so that you can live your life-long dream as a bush-pilot. Although, if any of those things really speak to you… by all means, knock yourself out.
I’m telling you that sometimes you just have to say, F*ck Convention! You want to wear white after Labor Day? Do it! You don’t want to drive a mini-van even though every other mother on the planet insists you can’t live without one? Then don’t!
You want to start a brand new career or go back to school at fifty? Go for it! You always wanted to visit Paris? Oui en effet! You want to go to the grocery store with no bra and no makeup? No one’s stopping you! (and no one will notice)
My point is that every now and then we have to step out of our comfort zone – or other people’s comfort zone - in order to really experience life. And we do not have to fit into any mold. Embrace your unique way of thinking and doing things. Celebrate your crazy! Lighten up, and re-invent yourself once in a while.
Every decision we make shapes us. Every path we choose leads to a different outcome. We can play it safe, or we can dare to venture into uncharted waters.
I always loved those stories with the “write your own endings”, when I was younger. It was fun for me to pick the craziest options every time I had to choose. It certainly made the story more entertaining, and much less predictable.
Playing it safe is all well and good, but we will always wonder what we missed by not choosing that other, less traveled path.
Take risks. Be bold. Life if short and it is what we make of it. You can be a chicken, and revel in the comfort of the familiar, or you can be a Chicken, and cross the damn road.
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