Don't Fall!

Luckily, I don't have any allergies and I don't suffer from debilitating fears. The first lets me go into restaurants, check for the absence of Foie Gras and bank-breaking items, and ask the waiter to order for me with only one rule, 'Don't ask me any questions'. The lack of debilitating fears means I am usually willing to try things. All this hides the fact that I am actually quite risk averse. The one rule I am quite conscious of is 'Don't die through stupidity'.

I do have a sprinkle of fear when it comes to heights. I recently climbed up India Venster with couple of friends. The individual bits wouldn't really be that frightening if they were on the ground. I have just heard stories. I could also see the 'short cut' down. As I was climbing up, I was conscious of the fact that this could be a 'Don't die stupidly moment'. The weather was perfect and my two buddies are machines. I got to the top and the beautiful views. There were definitely moments where I was having to summon my inner donkey. Some stubborn resolve.

My hidden risk aversion is that even though I still climbed, I was thinking about what could go wrong a lot of the time. This is on the edge of what I would do. I am happy to do things that appear risky, but aren't. Many people are very happy investing in property, but not in equity. On the surface the first is always safe, the second is always risky. Most of my marshmallows are working in equity. For me, there are many places where property investment is like climbing India Venster on a rainy day, drunk, and with a friend fond of playing practical jokes that go wrong.

I don't have a job that pays me a salary. I try spend as little as possible. If I can keep my outs less than my ins from marshmallows, then I can sustain a frugal lifestyle of reading, writing, walking and meeting with friends. This may appear really risky! What if you run out of money? What if your marshmallows get eaten by someone else? The truth is, it is not risky at all. I am learning to write as I go. I am meeting people. I can do things. I am learning to do more things. If I need to be useful in a way that pays money in the future, I am sure I can make a plan. For now, I think I have enough. I want more of the stuff you can't pay for. For now, I am happy letting my mini-mes do the bread-winning while I do the life building. 

You can't avoid risk. You can manage it.