Brave? Or stupid?

What is the gutsiest thing you ever did in your life?  Why did you do it?
(Father’s Legacy, p. 115)

I think most, if not all, of the things I’ve done that might appear brave were more a matter of impulsiveness.  Several injuries from bicycle accidents.  Swimming more than a half-mile thinking the bay was not nearly that wide.  Confronting someone assaulting a woman on a New York subway.  Climbing halfway down a cliff and having to go back up because the lower half was impossible. Having the batteries run out on the phone when I was using it for light and GPS on a “short cut” through the woods.  Exploring places in other countries and being told afterwards, “People like us should not go there.”  Getting in fights with dogs and goats (but I won every time, so maybe that’s not so bad).  Not believing the labels that say “No user-serviceable parts inside.”  Hopping onto and off of a moving freight train.  My siblings might remember other incidents.

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