Cheap Thrills

I'm a self-proclaimed nerd. I don't mind admitting that because I don't think it's embarrassing. I'd rather know too much about stuff than not enough of anything. So I wear my nerd badge with honor. But I'm also a self-proclaimed wuss. And that's not one you can really be proud of. Nerds can say, "I've memorized 98 digits of pi." And people will be impressed. They'll pick you last in sports, but they'll be impressed. But I can't say, "I'm afraid of heights, spiders, and girls," and expect anyone to be impressed in the slightest. They'll just look at me sadly and assume I own an inhaler.

And in certain ways I don't mind being a wuss. It's the main reason I'll never get horribly injured in a motorcycle accident. And it means I won't be the guy on the news who got too close to the edge and fell into the Grand Canyon. But sometimes I feel like I want to change. I feel like I want to put some adventure into my life. I can understand the appeal for people who take risks for fun. Skydiving and bungie jumping and giving somebody your hidden immunity idol finally make a little more sense. I still think all those things are insanely stupid, but I see the merit now.

So I've started easing my way into risk-taking fun. I jaywalked recently. I didn't even try to make it to the crosswalk. The last time I went swimming, I finished eating just 6 minutes before getting in the water. I also went jogging last week without stretching once. And just the other day I switched lanes without checking my blind spot. It sent a chill down my spine, but I did it anyway. And if that's not thrill-seeking, I don't know what is.