Comforts Zones and Risk Tolerance

~ Amusives

The length of this document defends it well against the risk of its being read.
– Winston Churchill –

I’ll keep this story short, then, with a few photos -not risqué, just risky.

Risk Tolerance and Comfort Zone – two concepts to think about now and then. At our house, The Car Guy is working hard to get back into his Comfort Zone, which for him is freedom from pain, and getting his neck brace off. (See A Perfect Storm.) Once that is achieved, he can start to think again about what his Risk Tolerance will be when the motorcycle is repaired!

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
– Anais Nin –

We live in an area of the country called Hail Alley.  These white lilies have been in my garden for ten years or more, and without fail they get hit by hail either just before they bloom, or just after.  That doesn’t stop them from blooming as best they can, though. Plucky little flowers.

lawn chairs

The concept of reducing risk is not new. People have been managing risks in some form since human beings first decided to keep their hands out of the cookfire.
– Risk Management – BC Fire Academy –

Summer bonfires (with marshmallows) at the cabin.  The grandchildren are old enough now to whittle sticks with sharp knives and use said weapons for tasks that bother timid adults. (This is the best I can do for a bonfire photo – I was never at the cabin on the evenings the extended family had a bonfire. It was just that kind of a summer.)

Adventure without risk is Disneyland.
– Doug Coupland –

My nephews little boy has a bike now and while he can’t keep up with the big kids on their bikes, he can sure park it where they do. He wears a helmet, of course, but the pot holes in the roads at the cabin have unseated him on more than one occasion, and he can show you the bruises to prove it.

I’m stepping out of my Comfort Zone today – I’m going to the dentist. Yes, I am a risk taker! How about you?

40 thoughts on “Comforts Zones and Risk Tolerance”

    1. The dentist will make my tooth feel better. The dentist will make my tooth feel better. If I say it enough times, then I feel much more comfortable about going to visit him.

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      1. Does it show your old visitors, or just start from when you get it? And does it work on all blog themes? Does it go down the side? I am scared to try anything new. What if I can’t get rid of it if I don’t like it?

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        1. It doesn’t show old visitors – starts counting once you paste it into a text widget. It works with any theme and shows up where ever you put the widget. You can get rid of it by removing the widget.
          To ahead,walk on the wild side!

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  5. Personal safety is HIGH on my priority list. I’m not a risk-taker. If you’ve been reading my latest series on my blog, you’ll understand why. I don’t need to seek out danger. Danger finds me quite easily… 😉

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    1. If I remember correctly, you are on your ninth life now, Lorna. If you were a cat, you would have to be extra careful from now on!

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      1. I’m actually on my 10th (that you know of). There are several I haven’t shared. I thought enough was enough!

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  7. I am not a risk taker at all. I’ve only just a few years ago started going on carnival rides as my kids reached that age where one parent had to go with each. Now they can go alone of course, but I find some of them kind of fun. But I have no interested in motorcycling, skydiving, bungee jumping, etc. I guess my biggest risk is writing a taboo blog post now and then!

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    1. Thinking of risk makes me think about what I am willing to lose if I fail. That decision is up to each individual, isn’t it?!

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  8. I prize safety and security. I don’t enjoy dentist visits, but I know they must be done. I need to make an appointment. I would never leave my comfort zone if it were all up to me.

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    1. I’ve expanded my Comfort Zone quite a bit since hubby got hurt. A trip to the dentist is a piece of cake now in comparison to a trip to the emergency ward of the hospital!

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  9. Hi there,
    I love lilies. 🙂

    After years of being a dental phobic due to a abusive dentist who assaulted me when I was a child I have found an excellent dentist. Alleluia! However, I’m not much of a risk taker these days when it comes to physical pursuits. My back is improving with physio treatments, but it will till be some time until I’m fully mobilized and pain free again. (Best wishes for a full recovery to The Car Guy.)

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    1. I’m sure you are looking forward to being mobile and pain free again! You are one tough lady if you can get past an abusive dentist.

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  10. I’m not a risk taker but I get talked into things easily. Got talked into a 17 mile bike ride once and even though it was all downhill, I felt wildly adventurous and managed to fall and get a big bruise. Great bragging rights! You would have to talk me into doing it again though. Love this post! You are so clever and the pics are perfect! 🙂

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  11. “A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.”
    ~ William Shedd

    I admit, I have a wanderlust and thrive on adventure and discovery. It’s gotten me in some trouble, but most of the time, I’ve felt it was worth the risk. It seems to me that most of the interesting stories we all have to tell are the ones where chances and risks were taken, not the ones steeped in safety and security.

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    1. Great quotation! It seems to me there are several kinds of risk. There is calculated risk, which in the case of the ship means not leaving port in the middle of a storm. Then there is foolhardy risk, which to me is the motorcycle rider I saw recently who was wearing shorts and sandals. I expect you are more of a calculating person, Phil!

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      1. Oh, I can agree with the notion of calculated risk versus foolhardiness, though that calculation falls along a continuum, and where the line is drawn is somewhat subjective. Clearly there are the extremes, such as someone who refuses to fly and therefore misses out on opportunities to travel to far away places, and on the other end, the motorcyclist in sandals and shorts tempting his fate at becoming roadkill in a split second’s time; those extremes are easy to calculate. It is the muddier middle that makes us all different in our tolerances. And wherever that line is, certainly, I’ve ventured over to the foolhardy side from time to time, maybe not even realizing it at the moment. I’d say most of those occurred when I was younger and didn’t quite grasp or appreciate the notion of mortality.

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    1. Good choice, though the tête-à-tête is very companionable. The Car Guy and his dad have been building all the little side tables out of scrap lumber. They are dual purpose because they are strong enough to sit on too.

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  13. I’m very risk-adverse. All my investments are in the First Mattress & Trust and I always wear a seat belt. But life is risk and we can’t avoid it, right?

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    1. First Mattress & Trust – the one on Firm Street or over on Pillow Top Way?
      In our province, it is the law that we wear seat belts in your car. I’m so used to doing one up when I get into a moving vehicle, that I sometimes reach for one when I get on the tractor!

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  14. I take risks if I know I have certain skills to cope in a basic way. Moving twice in my life from 1 province to another was a huge risk because lst time I left a job and had to find a job in next province.

    2nd time, I accepted a job offer in another province. But knew no one living in the place where I am now. What helped is my partner’s knowledge of the city where he spent 2 years.

    I guess I do take a risk daily by cycling but I don’t overthink this. I also plan my routes to avoid very busy/dangerous areas. But that’s not always possible.

    My partner is taking risks..whenever he bikes solo across North America. Right now, he’s going across the U.S. At his age, it’s probably riskier than most people would do it.

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    1. Riding solo across North America! That sounds like a wonderful adventure.
      My brother-in-law recently rode most of the way across Canada, but he did it on a motorcycle…

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  15. The Churchill quote made me laugh, the Anais Nin quote made me nod in sad recognition. I loved your metaphor re the white lilies, and how they bloom come hail or shine. We could all take a lesson there.

    I’ve taken some big risks, and will always believe it’s better to take them than not. Unfortunately, I have a history of not being able to distinguish risk from foolhardiness… : (

    Beautifully constructed post, Margie!

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