Taking Risks

"It's important to take risks. We only fully understand the miracle of life when we allow the unexpected to happen."    ~ Paolo Coelho, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept
What does it mean to take a risk? What constitutes a risk?
For me, everyday life constitutes a risk. Huh, you may say, everyday life? Yes. Sometimes it's easier to live in the movement of an adventurer, in the constant upheaval of travel and uncertainty and change, than to live the daily mundane life that shows up every morning.
Risk is different for each person. It can be leaving home and setting out on one's career path; taking a job in a new city or country; getting married; staying single; having a child; choosing not to have a child; walking in the dark; driving across country; anything.
Back to the risk of everyday life. When I stay present in the moment ~ in the NOW ~ I recognize the miracles around me. I see the droplets on the branches, the toddler waddling down the sidewalk, the crocuses beginning to peek through the dirt. I hear the feral cat mewing at the back door, the Canada geese honking across the sky, the laughter of children playing in the yard. I feel the cold winter breeze, the gentle mist brimming with ice, the beating of my heart.
Are these things unexpected? No. Recognizing them, acknowledging them, is. In that reigns the risk.