Too Far Too Fast

Do you ever set down a path then realize that you’ve gone too far too fast?  

Yeah…me, too.  Happened right now, as a matter of fact.

There’s a fine line between pushing yourself to your limit in an effort to extend that limit just a tad and pushing yourself somewhere you have no business being pushed.  It’s like lifting weights until it hurts, then doing it some more.  Like I read somewhere once, it’s those last few minutes when the burn is worse and the desire to quit greatest that muscle is actually built.  I’m not the guy who does that whole “burn” thing.  I guess I miss out on the greatest benefit.

But that’s not the point.  The point is that going far fast can be OK.  But you can also get yourself to a place that is just beyond your capabilities, even if just temporarily.  I remember climbing up a small shed when I was about 7 years old.  It was made of brick, and it seemed like a tower to the sky at the time.  The wall went straight up.  There was no easy way to go about getting to the top.  This would take balance, strong fingers, and all the right crevasses in all the right places.  A slip would have been painful.  I climbed anyway.  It was a tough climb, but I made it.  

Unfortunately, I made it.  

“Making it” meant I was at the top of this little building with no way down.  I failed to take into consideration that fact that the wall that went straight up also went straight down.  That final surge of strength I needed to hoist my legs over the top?  Yeah, not so easy to do in reverse while positioning my feet just so to ensure proper footing.  I was in trouble.

Too far too fast.

There was no way down.  My friends started laughing at me.  Then, the bell rang.  Recess was over.  Everyone ran back to the door to line up to get back into the building.  If I didn’t do something soon, I’d be left outside.  They’d lock the doors.  I’d be late.  Being late sucked.  I didn’t want to know what would happen to me.  I panicked.  Then I jumped.

You might survive going too far too fast, but it isn’t always pretty.  The alternative is to slow down a bit, regain your composure, recognize that you’re not ready to jump, and figure out a different way down.