Risk lies not where I think it is
But in what I already know
It lies not in uncertainty
But in my past, inside my own mind
No risk lies in change unasked for
It exists not in the future
Or in events unexpected
It can’t come knocking at my door
Risk lies not in attempting
New adventurous endeavors
It lies not in exploring
Waters never before charted
Risk lies not in losing money
Or being stripped of all I hold dear
It lies not in trusting another
Or in the sting of betrayal
Risk lies not in an untimely death
Or in a volatile stock market
Bankruptcy, bills, and divorce
Stand on opposite teams from risk
Risk lies not out there, but in here
Never in what I can’t control
But only in what I can
It lies with what I hold most dear
The most dangerous place of all
Risk lurks is inside security
In familiar places of safety
Inside of what I won’t let go
Risk lies not in what happens to me
But instead lies in my precious
Ability to respond
Inside of my power to choose
Risk lies not in reality
But in what I choose to create
It lies in what I won’t change
In what I refuse to adapt to
When that happens, I go extinct
Just like the dinosaurs of old
When I’m unwilling to adjust
Holding fast to my outdated ways
All the lies risk has told to me
Makes me feel risk is where it’s not
Then dupes me even more to feel
Safety where the most danger lies
–Jason Westlake
Christmas Eve, 2006
