TheApple

Not particularly extreme but exhilirating so far for me has been flying an ultralight.  There is not a lot of anything keeping you in the air.

Haha if I tell you, I'd have to kill you!

bobblehead says ...

Report to work.

I once got in between an anti-war protestor and a policeman swinging a nightstick. The protestor had been hit a couple of times and was on the ground and the policeman was about to hit him again. I got in the way and got hit and almost arrested for my effort.

No, I seem to have an obsession for standing up for the downtrodden and other victims.

The most daring, most exteme activity I've ever done was to get married for the third time. 

That was either the bravest or the dumbest thing (or both) I'd ever attempted.

But boy - am I glad I did because third time has been lucky indeed.

 Dear Mister,

Thanks (I think) for the "left-handed" compliment (but that's OK because I'm left-handed.) I'm not so sure I'm wise (but then I wonder if anyone truly is.) However, putting that aside for the moment (yes, I AM proud of my humility), if I am wise, I certainly wasn't born that way. Any wisdom I may have was acquired the old-fashioned way: I earned it the hard way - through experience.

My first wife was (quite literally) crazy. She was even on Thorazine. But way back then I had what I call "The Florence Nightingale syndrome" (i.e. I can save this woman.) Well, one piece of wisdom I picked up from that experience was: Don't marry anyone who's crazier than you are.

Or as the late, great Nelson Algren once put it: "Never play cards with a man called Doc. Never eat at a place called Mom's. Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own."

And another was that you can't save people who don't want to be saved.

My second marriage was to a wonderful lovely lady. The only problem was that we had NOTHING in common. She was TOO sane. She liked square dancing, the Texas two-step and had read one book in her life: The Man in Black - a biography of Johnny Cash. The best way I can put it is to say she was a Jerry Lewis fan whereas I'm a Woody Allen fan. I met her during one holiday from Saudi Arabia and married her after we'd "known" each other about two weeks.

My nugget of wisdom from that fiasco was - it's probably a good idea to really try to get to know someone BEFORE you marry them, to discover whether you share any interests, likes, dislikes, etc.

Ah, but on my third try I finally got it right. Mary Ann is JUST crazy (or sane) enough. We share a LOT of interests, likes and dislikes, And her only fault is that she apparently has terrible taste in men.

So, maybe I am a little wise, but it took many years and MANY mistakes to get there. Someday someone may even figure out a mathematical formula: Years + mistakes + learning = Wisdom  (W = y+m+l.)

aprilmorrison says ...

Johnslat,

I think you are on to something with your social/mathematical equation.

I completely agree that our best sources of knowledge come from our worst mistakes...you just have to learn and move on and not let the mistake be the end of your journey.

And if you never take risks you will never get the opportunity to have the bad to compare to the good.

I have some friends that think I am wise and make good choices, until they meet my really old friends who know how far I have come and realize that I am the smartest dumb person they have ever met! HA HA!

I agree with johnslat and aprilmorrison's great characterization of it.  I would add one small caveat however that I have tried to instill in my students and my own kids, and that is that while we all have to make some of our own mistakes we would all be in dire straights if we were unable to learn from others mistakes and avoid making those if at all possible.

kschase86 says ...

Here's the kicker....I'M SCARED TO DEATH OF HEIGHTS!  But, it will always be something I remember!  And, I'm glad I did not give in to my fear.

Congratulations.  Funny as we get older we cave to fears more and more and become more and more risk averse.  Is there a new experience you are missing out of fear?

I think I need to get a life, too!   I can't think of anything. 

Would 30 hours of labor and delivery count?

I prefer long, drawn-out intensity as opposed to quick moments like sky-diving or roller-coasters.  The longer the journey, the greater the reward. 

Thus, my "most-extreme" activity occured three summers ago when I rode my bike across the country with 7 other amazing friends.  The purpose was to not only make it back alive, but to also dialogue with other Catholic educators about the struggles, the blessings, and the role of Catholic Education in the US today.  It was awesome.

This is when I came to know Albuquerque, NM, and it is now one of my favorite places in the US. Apple and John, you might see me in your neighborhood before you know it!

kschase86 says ...

While I was in high school, I was part of the AFJROTC program.  One of the field trips included a KC-135 re-fueling flight up to Maine and back.  On our way up to Maine, I was the lucky student who was able to lay face down in the belly of the plane to watch the re-fueling process.  It will be something I will always remember!  Watching them refuel that plane in mid-air was like watching a ballet...completely in sync and flawless!

 

WOW!  That is amazing.  You are brave.

Does downhill skiing count? :D

Also, a call-out to John - no matter how long it took you to get there, it's great to hear that now you're happy! Cheers!