In the Five Alive journey, every now and then you strike all five…like all cherries on the slot machine – the bells ring, the lights flash, and the coins start pouring out of the bottom of the machine while you try to fill your pockets and various plastic cups with change. There’s a moment of surprise, the feeling of the joy of winning, and the extreme confusion of what to do with all those quarters. And, there was a mental calculation of risk and reward when you put money in the machine and pulled the handle.
In 2019, I registered for a trip to Venice, which happened to be “attached” to a ski trip to Cortina, Italy with the Oklahoma City Ski Club. I thought it was a perfect way to see Venice in the winter when there were no crowds and no flooding. Oh, and I would be skiing the Italian Alps, The Dolomites, before the excursion trip to Venice.
What happened instead, was a potential viral pandemic that threatened to cancel the trip altogether. A third of the group canceled and filed travel insurance claims. Two-thirds of the group traveled to Italy. Markets were volatile. The news was more viral than the virus itself. Snow fell.
What does this have to do with Five Alive? It has to do with risk. We can stay inside, in the safety of the familiar, or we can make a decision to take a risk. All elements of Five Alive require an internal calculation of risk. Reaching for the fullness of life requires risk. Each decision places us on the see-saw of the question, “Is it worth it?”
My answer is a definitive, “Yes.”
- It was worth the expense to go on a trip to Italy, even if the excursion to Venice was canceled because of Covid-19. I’ll have to go back for a Venice trip another time. Finance.
- Cappuccino, pasta, breads, risotto, veal osso buco, tiramisu; I was not always the best role model of nutrition. However, it was combined with great salads, minestrone, fruit salad, yogurt, and muesli. Food.
- The Venice cancellation freed up extra days for skiing The Dolomites – the Italian Alps. Each day brought us wonderful views in every direction. Fitness.
- New people with lots of different backgrounds, families, professions, and experiences. Serious, funny, skiers and non-skiers, each with their own unique story. New Friends.
- Nicknames, new stories, jokes, a great hotel with exceptional family service, Italian Amari, chair lifts, trams and gondolas and more – Fun.
After our return to the US, we have been bombarded with news and information; more words and “spin” than we experienced while being in what folks portray as a high-risk region. We were reading the news daily, but not listening to the radio or watching TV. In reflection, my husband and I would make the same decision based not only on the information we had in the past but also on what we know now. Yes, we cut it too close; we’re glad we have a 14-day quarantine in our own home versus a hotel in Italy and will miss the fresh espresso daily.
We don’t live life for the drama, but we do live for new experiences, new friends, new fun and this requires savings and a healthy lifestyle. Occasionally, you too will score all five -Finance, Food, Fitness, Friends, and Fun – so get out there, put a quarter in the slot and pull the handle!