Ride Your Bull (but don’t let your friends light you on fire)
My Bull(s)
It’s important to take risks in life. Otherwise, you may live with regrets and the “shoulda-woulda-coulda’s” for the rest of your time. Adrenaline has always been in my life. One of the first “bulls” I can remember was white water rafting on the Matanuska River in Alaska when I was 12 years old. My whole family went, none of the kids were older than 15 years old. The water looked just like chocolate milk, dirty run off from under the glacier that feeds the river. Of course being a glacial river, the water was about 38°F. I think the rapids that day were called Stage 4, with most of the rapids being 3-4ft tall. I blame my parents for starting me out on adrenaline because that was still probably the most fun I’ve ever had. I continued seeking out adrenaline, until one day a friend took me rappelling, and of course gliding down an 80ft rock was right up my alley. If it wasn’t enough of a rush going down looking up, you could flip around in midair to “turn-n-burn” where you wrap your legs around the rope and descend head first! As I got older, I wanted more, so right after my 18th birthday I went with a bull riding friend, who let me use his gear, to a rodeo. I rode two bulls that night and it was such a rush! Now I probably won’t ever do it again, because it beat me up a little, the first bull came down on my back and the second bull flipped me over its horns and tore my bicep. The truth is, I’m so glad I got to experience the adrenaline rush, but now I know the pain that comes the next morning!
Find Your Bull
Finding your “bull” is just picking something on your bucket list or something that you’ve always wanted to do. It may be a little dangerous or risky, so maybe you’ve passed up the opportunity before. Some people love jumping out of planes, bungee jumping, or maybe scuba diving. Basically, follow your passion. I’m sure most of you already have your “bull” in mind. It just sits there in the back of your head till somebody brings excitement or adventure up in conversation. Why deny that excitement any longer? Go out and live a little.
Don’t Let Your Friends Light You On Fire
Yes, we all do stupid things at least once in our lives. If not, you need to take riding your bull a little more seriously. When I was a young teenager, my friends and I were just learning what flammable meant and what liquids were flammable. Can you see where this is going? Of course I was the bravest and dumbest one, I let my friends soak the back of my shirt with an aerosol can. They reassured me that all the precautionary measures were taken, the plan being to throw a towel on my head and tackle me to the ground. Do me a favor, don’t try this at home! They stood a few feet away from me using the remaining aerosol as a flamethrower and ignited my soaked shirt while video taping it. In my eyes it was all over very quickly, a flash of flames, warm feeling on my neck, and a bad smell. All followed by a towel smothering me like a hostage and getting patted down by two angry TSA’s. In case your wondering about my well being at this point, I was perfectly fine, no burns, I still had a shirt, and I was left with a few singed hairs on the back of my head. Upon watching the video, after my friends extinguished the flames, I saw a very different picture. As soon as the flamethrower hit my back, the aerosol on my shirt ignited and the flames shot up my back reaching up past my head. The friends who weren’t recording jumped into action like lightning and covered me entirely. While it was all very stupid, I am very thankful of my friends quick action, I could have been severely burned if they had not acted so fast. Years later my mother found the video and lets just say she wasn’t impressed, but she is the one who suggested I wrote about it!
Be Smart
While it is important to take risks in life, it is equally or more important to make good decisions and be safe. I’ve taken a lot of risks in my time, but I always took some kind of safety precautions (sometimes a towel). In all of the events, had there not have been any precautions I would’ve been severely injured. When bullriding, it is mandatory to wear an approved vest (after the death of Lane Frost). The vests are designed to take almost all of the impact and have specific places that tear to keep the rider from being scraped or stomped by the bull. I was also wearing a helmet, which isn’t mandatory, but my friend insisted. When I got bucked off the first time I realized it’s not like a free fall, you’re basically getting thrown at the ground with force. I bounced my head off the ground and thought, “I’m glad he made me wear a helmet!” So please, whatever your “bull” or risk is, take the necessary precautions to ensure that you’ll actually be able to remember and tell the story. You can still take the risks, have fun, and be safe at the same time.