Life is found on the edge

​From the moment after I told my friends Celia and Meg I'd help them with their latest segment running the Appalachian Trail, Celia insisted - relentlessly - that I'd join them on the hike up to McAfee Knob.

Celia had hiked it before. It had special meaning to her. I think she really wanted to experience someone else finding special meaning in it to.

Mission accomplished my friend.

The hike up was tough. The description at the foot of the trail calls the hike "moderate/strenuous" - I'd lean toward the right half of that slash.

But strenuous has never been more rewarding.

When we got to the top, we hiked out of the wilderness and onto a rock overlook. I've never been more exposed to the world; I could literally see the miles drifting on forever.

And the world - oh the world could see me too. The cover and the protection of the wilderness - it was gone.

I discovered something about the view on that overlook. The closer I got to the edge, the better the view. The closer I got to the edge, the more obstacles I took out of my way. The closer I got to the edge, the more alive I felt.

I watched dozens of people navigate the dance of 'how close can I get.' I watched people watch with some envy the people who got really close. They wanted to be that close, too. You could see it in their eyes.

That is life, isn't it? This dance of 'how close can I get to the edge'?

Somehow we all know that. We ALL know that life IS found on the edge. We know it because when we spend any amount of time hiding in the wildernesses of life, we feel like we're missing something.

When we hide from our calling or purpose because we're afraid to expose ourselves to the risk of failure, we miss out.

When we hide from relationships, afraid to open ourselves up to the vulnerability that makes them work, we miss out.

When we hide from writing or speaking or sharing our thoughts because we might not have the right words, we miss out.

When we hide from an adventure like hiking the Appalachian Trail because that's too far, we miss out.

The reality is, the further we stand from the edges of life, the more of life we miss out on. And the more we miss out on it, the more the world misses out on what we discover and who we become on the edges.

There was a difference in the eyes of the people standing on the edge of McAfee Knob and those standing safely away from it. There's a difference in the eyes of the people you'll cross paths with today.

I dare say much of that difference is found on the edge.

There's a certain look people have who are standing on the edges of life. There's a certain look people have who wish they were.

The encouraging news is - we are in charge of that look. I'm grateful to have insistent friends who keep reminding me of that.