Daring Footsteps

“I Dare You, boys and girls, to make life obey you, not you it. It is only a shallow dare to do the foolish things. I dare you to do the uplifting, courageous things.”

“You can be bigger than you are.”

William Danforth “I Dare You”

We were humans, once and young.   When I graduated from High School my dad gave me Danforth’s book, I Dare You, as a graduation gift.  As he handed it to me he merely said, “As you get ready to embark on the next leg of your journey, whichever road you choose, rise above it all and be bigger than you are, leave your footprints where ever you go, and make a difference with your passion for and service to others.”  I hate to admit it but back then, I used to watch Soap Operas.  When one of those began, a voice came across saying “Like sands through an hourglass, so are the days of our lives.”   So being the son of my father, genetically predisposed to sarcasm and humor, I merely thanked him for the gift and in my brand new graduate voice repeated the phrase from the soap opera.  I did not have a clue how important the gift of a simple book was at that moment, nor how it would help me in my life’s journey and quest to make a difference.

In the soap opera(s) of social media, I have found myself thinking through all of the sensational sound bites and mind boggling commentary on every subject from large to small.  In taking my own daily footsteps across the Thing of Things (ToT) and my own ongoing personal journey navigating all the nonsensical, sometimes profound, and other times outrageous commentary I found myself picking up the book my father gave me to revisit Danforth’s series of dares.  As I looked at it again, I tried to put the myriad of discussions I read on social media and the news into the context of daring myself to be bold, to take daring footsteps that will allow me to rise above it all and help me to become bigger than I am right now and at this moment in time.   

As I flipped through the pages again, it made me think about the many footsteps (mine and footprints from others) along my journey. It made me think about all the footsteps and footprints that have been left by others over the millennia; it made me think about the quality and character of the steps that I am taking now and will take in the future; it made me think about 34 years from now when our world population is expected to exceed 9+Billion people; it made me think about 100, 200, 2000 years from now.  Would my footsteps and foot prints have made a difference? 

Would yours?

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

Robert Frost

Whichever road you choose, I Dare You to rise above it all, become bigger than yourself, and take footsteps that matter.  In doing so I Dare You to leave footprints for future generations that they can gaze at and positively look back upon .   I Dare You to make the world a better place and take the necessary daring footsteps on your personal and, to a larger extent, our collective journeys:  thoughtfully taking the time and effort to take steps that make a difference;  one person—one step  at a time.