“Be Bold!” Wanderlust and Lipstick’s new tagline joyfully exclaims. I couldn’t agree more.
Merriam-Webster, my favorite dictionary, lets us know that bold is a combination of fearlessness and idiocy, which is exactly why I love the feeling.
bold
adjective ˈbōld
: not afraid of danger or difficult situations
: showing or needing confidence or lack of fear
: very confident in a way that may seem rude or foolish
Bold is the “yes” in the situation, the moment where possibilities open and a new way of life begins. Bold is the freedom that happens when you let go of tried and true and embrace the unknown. Bold is a smile in the face of disbelief.
I have had a few bold moments in the past few years.
The first I’ll never forget.
Becoming Bold
I was in the footwear section of Pittsburgh’s REI trying on Vibram Five Fingers (long before the scandal broke) when I started casually speaking with another woman trying on a similar pair.
It came out quickly that she was stopped there for the night before continuing on with her cycling trip across the country.
“Yes,” threw itself into me, as the truth of my future solidified in an instant.
“But you haven’t bike in years,” stated friends later.
The women in the footwear section went on to tell me she was doing it with an organization called Bike & Build.
“Yes,” my whole body echoed.
“You don’t like exercise,” my parents laughed when I told them about my plan.
She went on to explain that the organization raised money and awareness for affordable housing.
“Yes, yes!” everything in me screamed.
“What? Why?” my partner asked.
And finally she told me that she was cycling with more than twenty other young people – all under the age of 25 – as Bike & Build sought to get people involved in a lifetime of service.
“How do I sign up?” I asked, timidly.
And in that moment, and the many moments that followed, bold became my north star, my way to find my way along the path.
Since then, I’ve had flashes of bold change my life again and again:
I watched a movie called The Way. “Yes,” and I was in Spain.
Someone asked, “Are you a mountaineer?” “Yes?” and I was on top of Mount Rainier.
I saw a flyer for a 202-mile ride in a day. “Yes,” and training began.
What have your bold moments led you to try?
Just keep spinning. –Arielle