"'Risky Business"

 

 

"You can't be too careful!"

I made a rather unimpressive attempt to find the origin of that phrase. If I ever get an answer to my academic wonder I'll appropriately edit this entry.  Meantime I'm just going to RISK using it. Why? Because that is today's theme.

In fact you CAN be too CAREFUL in my judgement.  Life can't be very interesting without risk.  And I'm not talking about Evel Kneivel type risk, or climbing Everest. But if we are born with helmets and foam padding and an endless supply of  number 80 sun screen, we'll never know the ecstasy of taking a risk and WINNING the day.

Please Paul, give us an example?

Thought you'd never ask.

When I started sketching about three years ago I was warned not to attempt producing a likeness of any significant other. 

"Oh, POSH," I ventured.  And so I set about to immortalize my dear Peggy.  And so I did, I thought.

"YOU MADE ME OLD AND UGLY," I'm pretty sure she said.  And I'm pretty sure she didn't talk to me for a minimum of 24 hours.

So I put my helmet on and decided " I can't be too careful. I won't do THAT again."

But I really am a man of risk.  About a month ago Peggy is looking at my photo file and sees a digital likeness of herself.

"I like that picture of me."

Well, bright or not so bright, I decide right then and there I'm going to take my helmet off and risk it AT LEAST ONE MORE TIME. And I'm going to take it a step further.  I am going to attempt to reproduce her glorious features in WATER COLOR.  And it would be my FIRST WATER COLOR portrait.

So there it is up there.  And you'll note I remain healthy enough to be typing this posting.  You know I think she actually LIKES IT.

So there you have it. There is the object lesson for the day on Risk. You'll never feel really good about yourself until you take one (risk) and succeed. 

I hope those of you just starting out in adult careers will remember that.  Some, of course, can't ever hear me. That's because you CAN'T hear through those helmets.

"I see heaven when I see thee Dulcinea...!"