The scene from my grandparents’ house in the mountains in Italy is breathtaking. During the day you can see all the hills, valleys and fields in the distance. If you tripped you would probably roll for a mile. At night the moon looks as if it were close enough to hit with a rock.

One afternoon I found myself dragging a bike, which I had managed to get my hands on, out to the middle of the road. The bike had no brakes and my feet barely touched the ground when I was on it. I was looking down the steep winding road ready to jump on… not knowing how I would stop when the time came or if I would meet any cars on the way down. Without a second thought I jumped on and found myself flying down the road.  The neighbor called my grandmother in a panic, afraid that I was going to kill myself. The thought never crossed my mind, nor would it have stopped me from getting on the bike if it had. I still don’t remember how I stopped the bike, but thankfully I made the trip safely… and did it again.

I was a crazy fearless child growing up.  Thinking back on and hearing stories about some of my antics make it hard to believe that I am the same person.

This past summer I found myself attending a concert for a group called One Republic… not to be confused with One Direction.  I hadn’t really heard many of their songs, but my friend, who is a huge fan, convinced us to go. The concert took place outside at Pier 26 in NYC where we stood for hours.  You are obviously a huge fan if you are willing to stand there for that long… I barely knew this group I stood through two opening acts, patiently waiting for them to be done so I could see this One Republic perform. Day turned to night and they were finally getting ready to come out and perform.

As they went through their set I found myself enjoying the music. Though none of the songs had really jumped out at me until I heard this start to play:

Hope when you take that jump
You don’t fear the fall…
Hope when the water rises
You build a wall…

Hope when the crowd screams out
They’re screaming your name…
Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay…

 Hope that you fall in love
And it hurts so bad…
The only way you can know
Is give it all you have…

 And I hope that you don’t suffer
But take the pain…
Hope when the moment comes
You’ll say…

I, I did it all

If you have never heard the song, please stop reading and take a listen… but come back of course. Click here

Music has a way of dragging you through a roller coaster of emotions whether you want it to or not. When that song played I had that same feeling you get when you hear the first note of your favorite song.

I really heard the words through the music and realized that it had been a long time since I jumped on a bike with no brakes. The crazy fearless kid in me took a backseat somewhere along the way, replaced by an impatient person just trying to get to the next step. Sure I have grown up and probably shouldn’t be making reckless decisions, but will I look back when my moment comes and say I did it all?

Have you ever tried having a conversation with a child? Have you ever watched the crazy stuff they do or listened to the things they say? Have you taken notice of their unstoppable imaginations? Look at how many steps they take without fear. 

Perhaps we should walk in the footsteps of a fearless child so that when that last step comes we are not struggling to find the footsteps we left behind. It is never too late.

What a great concert…