I'm sure that my Editor won’t tolerate this much longer. Eight times out of ten, I’m invariably the last one to send in my stories. I submit them just before the issue closes and is ready to be sent to print. I wonder why I do that? Do I enjoy doing things at the eleventh hour, or is it just that I enjoy the rush of being on the edge? I could easily finish the stories much before the deadline – time is never really a factor. I guess I’m just so used to being on the edge. There are many people like that, I tell myself in an effort to justify my own actions. I ride long distances at regular intervals. And when I’m riding in the hills, sometimes I’m overcome with the thrill of being close to the edge. At times, I ride so damn close to the edge that after I stop for the day, I have to tell myself that what I did was exceedingly stupid. I have no business riding so close to the edge. One slip would have led to a drop of a few hundred feet at the very least – and on rocks that aren’t exactly made of jelly either. I have gone off the road on a few occasions too, but on each occasion it’s only been a few feet – and in wooded areas too. I have to remind myself, then, that it’s the need for this addictive rush of adrenalin which makes me ride so close to the edge – and at stupid speeds too. I try and take corners like a motorcycle rider on a rally does – on dirt roads standing up. Play with fire and you will get burned however. So, of course, there are times when I’ve fallen. But that doesn’t stop me from getting right up and trying all over again. The rider in a rally leaves a trail of dust as he rides on dirt stages. He attacks corners with his leg sticking out. Just the sight and sound of him coming hard into a corner, sliding his rear wheel out, opposite locking his front wheel, and disappearing into the next bend leaving a plume of dust in his wake is enough to get bystanders pumped up. Needless to say, riding like that gets the rider pumped too. Adrenaline! That’s what it is. And it is highly infectious too. It gets to us all. Many a time, when I happen to pass some locals riding through the country at a leisurely pace – an instant after I pass him – he’ll hold the throttle wide open and chase me down. He’ll overtake, but then let me get past once again after a little while. He just had a point to prove. After all, we watch our heroes on TV, get all worked up, and then try to ride and drive like them. And this adrenaline rush is great, but if it isn’t kept in check it can be fatal. There’s a very thin line that separates the two after all. If we take it slow and steady, naturally there’s a greater probability of making it to your destination in one piece. But it would make for an exceedingly boring ride, wouldn’t it? Small doses of madness, a little bit of being on the edge, and a good adrenalin rush is necessary to add a little spice to life. “It’s better to burn out than to fade away…” they sang. Burning out isn’t much of an option, but fading away – definitely not! Somewhere in-between is what we should choose, or at least what I choose anyway. Being on the edge keeps me going. Frankly, I enjoy it – I do have to remove it from being a part of my writing though!
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