What Causes Us to be Daring? by Fran Joyce
What causes us to be daring?
Some people are born that way.
My grandson is a fearless climber much like his Uncle James was when he was a child.
My friend’s daughter is a dancer. She started taking lessons as a toddler and performing in competitions. Today she is a choreographer with her own dance studio.
What makes them trust their body to react how they want/need it to and not dwell on what could go wrong?
One of my childhood friends. resigned his military commission, accepted a job in Australia, and started a new life without ever having been there. When I asked him about his decision, he told me the timing seemed right.
For most of us, the stars won’t ever align that perfectly, and we may never learn to trust ourselves completely.
Many cautious people become daring after surviving a frightening event or a health scare.
For example, breast cancer survivors’ dragon boating is an international movement inspired by the research of Canadian sports medicine specialist Don McKenzie. Teams are made up of twenty people per boat who must learn to paddle together. The exercise from dragon boating helps prevent lymphedema, hand and arm swelling, caused by a lymphatic blockage that can occur after lymph node surgery. Fresh air and exercise combined with the camaraderie of being on a team is also good for a survivor’s self-esteem. Honestly, finding a place to belong is good for anyone and everyone.
In the Pittsburgh area, the Steel City Dragon-Boat Association, Inc. recently hosted a date night to encourage more people to try and hopefully take up the sport. The organization was founded in 2002 and the first full season (May through October) for dragon-boating in Pittsburgh was 2023. Practices are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and Saturday mornings. The team often dines together after spending a couple of hours on the water. The Steel City Dragons and Team Pink Steel attend workshops and compete in several national races each year.
At the event Team Pink Steel, comprised of breast cancer survivors from the Pittsburgh area, were there in force. There are also teams of blind boaters, amputees, senior boaters in their seventies to their nineties, and people who have sports-related injuries and have had to give up their sport of choice. All were welcome and everyone contributed to their team.
Sitting in a low boat on the water and trusting nineteen other people to work together seems pretty daring to me.
You’re probably wondering why I’ve mentioned these seemingly unrelated people and events.
If you stop to think about it, you’ll discover they are related because they show that there are many ways and reasons to be daring. Some are physical and others are emotional, or intellectual.
Coming out of your comfort zone is never easy, but it’s worth it. You don’t have to climb Mt. Everest or swim with sharks. Maybe you just pick up the phone or text a friend and invite them to meet you for coffee or lunch.
Even “baby steps” can be daring. Just look at the face of a baby taking their first steps and learning to let go of the hand that’s always been there. They eventually fall down, but they also get up again and start all over until the art of walking is as natural as breathing.
If you are interested in joining the Steel City Dragons, they encourage you to attend a practice, with advance notice to Coach Randolph. Practice schedule and additional information can be found online at https://www.steelcitydragons.org/.
Sources for this article:
https://www.usdbf.org/who-dragon-boats/breast-cancer-paddlers-bcp/
https://dragonsabreastbrisbane.com.au/dragons-abreast-australia/dr-don-mckenzie/