Living the Life on the Edge

Have you ever played craps?  It is an absolutely fascinating game.  Like many other games, there are winners and there are losers.  The size of the win or loss is up to the amount of risk you would like to take.  Bet more and the result is to win or lose more.  Sounds like almost every other casino game right?   The difference between craps and blackjack, roulette, or even slots is the other people playing on the table.  At any given time, you could be rooting for the same outcome as seven others or be the only one in the world wanting to see snake eyes.  Then, once the bets are laid and people know what they want to see, it happens.  The Roll.

Now, it may be your turn or anybody else at the tables turn.  That doesn't matter though.  Once the dice have left the hand, everyone has the same feeling.  A helplessness that you can only watch (maybe yell a little if the time calls for it) and let the Roll play out as the dice bound down the table into the railing.  The feeling of hope that sparks when you think that a roll has come out favorably.  The mind takes milliseconds to process it all.  A three and a two.  What did I bet on again?

My name is Richie.  To make a long story short, I am a 23 year old Kansas man born and raised.  The story has led me to currently reside and work in Madison, WI.  Land of the cheese and cheese heads (seriously, the whole cheese stereotype is no joke... And there is a weird obsession with popcorn here).  I feel my life is pretty average in a lot of regards, but starting to think there may be more that seems normal to me and is just absurd to 99% of the population.  I do not yet know if my life requires a blog.  Never hurts to try though.

As I look back and try to analyze parts of my life (I have decided that this blog will be mainly focused on this point forward with past being brought in to give context only), I noticed a pattern.  I would make a decision on how much to commit to something.  Find out what others around me were doing (while stubbornly not changing my initial commitment) and then there would be an event.  I had more influence on some events than others, but I feel like some of my biggest successes in life have been when I worked into a good position and then let the chips fall where they may.  Hence, the craps analogy for Richie's Roll (still not used to speaking in 3rd person).  And yes, I expect many of my friends to think Rick Roll when they first see the blog name.  Not my intent, but we will let it play out.

I mentioned earlier that I don't really know if my life can fill a blog (and actually keep people entertained) but I am going to try to stay on top of it weekly at least.  This will be a good way for me to stay connected with my friends no matter where they live.  I will also be introducing a Bucket List (being written, although I think I have a good start).  Which leads me to the next positive for a blog: accountability.  I hope that if I keep people informed, they will keep me honest and give me a hard time when I am slacking.  Other topics will have motivational and leadership themes (I tend to geek out big time on those topics).  Finally, I am a young professional that will be traveling probably 50% of the year at least.  There will be good stories about that, I promise.  The dice come to rest today with a quote from one of my favorite authors.

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be."

- Douglas Adams