Articles – Risk Taking

Life Lessons from Pink Radishes and Other Crazy Experiments

Vast arrays of robust, colorful vegetables at the farmer’s market reminded me of a childhood experiment. My father thought it would be fun to see what would happen if we crossed round red radishes with long white ones. So we grew a small crop of each, pollinated the flowers, captured the seeds and planted them. We checked the leaves every day and finally, when we couldn’t stand it any longer, we pulled them out. Fat, pink radishes!

My father also taught us to create pink muffins studded with blueberries, pancakes in the shape of houses or bicycles and to flip omelets in the air. His enthusiasm for the experiments was deep and contagious. To this day I love putting things together in unexpected ways and to experiment.

I’m sad that our culture today is so focused on success rather than the journey. We need to reward ourselves when we try something imaginative, no matter the outcome.

Every day this week, DO something unexpected. Don’t try to do this, DO it. Maybe you write a short creative story for a presentation, or you have lunch with someone you’re uncomfortable with or you sketch a design for a new app. Drive a different route, walk a different path, or set aside 15 minutes to just think.