Welcome to FREAKY FRIDAY #1
Every Friday in October I will write about… well… something ridiculous!
Today’s ridiculousness – I wrestled an alligator!
Yep. Its true. Actually, I didn’t wrestle just one alligator… but many.
Details….
Who? Me and a few other brave and slightly ridiculous friends.
What? Learn how to wrestle alligators.
Where? Mosca, Colorado… at The Gator Farm.
Why? I’ll answer this question shortly… keep reading.
The Gator Farm is the only place in the world where you can get hands-on experience with all sizes of alligators… all the way up to 600lb, 9-foot alligators!
I started handling 2-3 foot alligators in a small swimming pool.
Then moved up to 5-6 foot alligators in the pond.
Then graduated to the 9 foot alligator swamp.
This was clearly one of the more intense and outrageous things I’ve ever done.
The things I learned and experienced will never be forgotten.
There it is… the answer to the “WHY” question. Did you see it?
If you know me at all, you know I’m a risk-taker. Why?
Because the things I learn and experience are invaluable and will never be forgotten.
Risk allows me to … experience, learn, change, and share.
Honestly, it makes me sad when I see some of my friends consistently run from risk. They allow fear to dictate most of their lives. Then run from pain, and the unknown, and they miss out on so many opportunities to learn, change, and share.
I mentioned earlier that I wrestled alligators with a few other brave, and slightly ridiculous friends. There were actually 15 of us in total. We saved our money, rented a 15 passenger van, and traveled thousands of miles to get to The Gator Farm in Mosca, CO for this once in a lifetime opportunity.
You know how many decided to take the risk once we got there?
Four.
The other 11 said “no thanks, I’ll just watch.” They chose not to take the risk.
When asked afterwards if they wish they would have wrestled alligators instead of watching… almost all of them said “YES”.
Where did I learn to be a risk taker? My parents.
I’m so thankful for parents who taught me to take risks.
How did they teach me?
They took risks themselves.
~ Greg
p.s. If you have any specific questions about my alligator wrestling experience… just leave your question, and I’ll reply.
{This is a series of posts for 31 Days of Rest & Risk. To read the other posts, click here.}
you should post a picture of the release form you had to sign. That would really show your readers how much of a risk you really took:)
reeve recently posted..31 Days : day five
Found you through the Nester 31 Days post. I’m not a blogger but I’m journaling every day on Rest because it is my One Word for 2012. I’m reflecting on what I have learned and continue to learn about Rest. I was drawn to your Rest and Risk title because while in the middle of learning to Rest, God is challenging me to take some really big risks. I went skydiving for the first time on Friday, biggest risk I’ve taken to date. It was scary and fun all at the same time. The jump out of that plane was terrifying. It is feels very similar to the other really big risk He is asking me to take. I can’t share anymore at the moment but I will be reading about your journey through Risk and Rest and I look forward to hearing all you have learned and experienced.