When I first visited France I was seventeen and on a journey to hitchhike around the world. I have never let fear dictate my life and I love a Challenge. There are twelve lane intersections in Paris where cars circle a grand monument and exit the turnabout in the direction they need. 99% of the people needing to cross the street use an underground tunnel. There are a brave few, some may call them crazy that know how to cross more efficiently. A Frenchman taught me the secret. You NEVER look at oncoming traffic, you walk slowly and at the same speed, NEVER changing speed. The approaching vehicles see you from a distance and maneuver their car so they miss you either left or right. I might add they drive at a good speed so it is an experience of a lifetime, like when I jumped out of a plane at 10,000 feet or took off in my first solo flight as a pilot.
So I am now 66 years old and am again traveling around the world. One of my philosophical sayings is the more you know the easier life is. Well the traffic in Cairo is probably the worse I have ever seen, they don’t know what the white lines on the road mean, they don’t have stop signs, no one wears seat belts or wear helmets, driving on the wrong side of the road is acceptable. I’m not sure if they have ever been given or know what a ticket is.
Well, to get to the other side of the street you need to either wait for traffic to clear (maybe 2 am) or walk through traffic. I had dinner with a friend and after dinner we went for a drink, during our drink the conversation he said “You cross the street like a Egyptian” which I knew was a great compliment. FEAR stands for False Expectations Appearing Real.
Have no fear in life, learn as much as you can, the more you know the easier life is and the more valuable you are to others. Travel while you are young, live life large, you only have one round on the carousel of life, grab the brass ring, and be happy. What you want to be, you can be, be Fantastic.
Join the be Fantastic movement today by sending an email to drfantastic@befantastictoday.com. Be part of the solution, not the problem.
