Being Bold

Being Bold is a young man's game
Born of Testosterone and nothing really to live for
Once a 17 year old was the ideal fighter pilot in World War I
Likely only one of these lived for every 10 pilots who flew then

Boldness is something I always had in physical things
But as I grew older I found I often couldn't survive my own boldness
So, finally I realized I had to change my ways to stay alive

I chose compassion as a start to this change
Compassion for myself and others and especially for my family and my children
Now I'm older and I meet the children of bold pilots who died in their boldness
And they tell me not to fly because I am too bold
I know they are right
And all those who were bold like me mostly are dead before their time
Leaving scattered wreckages of their friends and families behind who pine for them

So, boldness is what creates life
But, control of it is what maintains life
But, it takes time to learn this

But, you have to make it to 30 or 40
so you can learn this too

What's that saying?
How true it is-----

There are old pilots
and there are bold pilots
But, there are no old bold pilots

Bold People gone now
My Uncle- 1942
my step brother and his wife early 2000s
a good friend's son-the last 2 years
A friend's father when she was little
in the Colorado Rockies