Long Shots and Sure Things

This morning, I stood on a grand opening line. You see, my son had read the ad promising a free gift to the first 200 people on grand opening day, and he was bound and determined to get his free gift. We did what we needed to do--got up earlier than we might have liked, withstood the rain when the skies opened halfway into our time on line, smiled convincingly when the store photographer came around taking pictures for the store's website. And, with great anticipation, we followed along when the store opened and the line began to move. We did all the right things, and now were going to get our reward--the very exciting free gift. And as we crossed the threshold of the store, a man handed a red ticket to the person in front of us. And then announced that he had no more. We did all the right things, but we would not be getting the free gift.
 
We had spent part of our time on line talking about how this endeavor was a long shot, about how there was no guarantee, and how we would still be happy we tried, even if we didn't win. Nonetheless, it's hard to remember all of that when you're a kid, and you see the last ticket given to the person in front of you.
 
Our lives are filled with long shots like this. We didn't know how many other people would camp out way earlier than we did. We didn't know that people might cut the line during the waiting. There was no way to know. There was only giving it a shot or not. If we didn't, we'd never know, never have even a chance at the prize. If we did, we might be winners or we might be losers, but we'd never know without trying.
 
It's not easy to know when to go for the long shot instead of sticking with the sure thing. The sure thing, whether it's a job or an activity or a restaurant we've been to a thousand times, is easy. It's comfortable. And it's a lock, at least in the short term. The long shot could result in wasted  hours, or a miserable workday, or a meal you'd just as soon forget. Or it could lead you toward great things you might otherwise not have found.
 
When I was volunteering with a non-profit, there was always a mantra of "you'll never get (volunteers, money, you name it) if you don't ask." The long shots in life are, as far as I can tell, like that "ask." Without taking the long shots, at least once in a while, we don't leave ourselves open to the big rewards, monetary or otherwise. We don't give ourselves the chance to explore and learn and grow, and that can make life a little boring.
 
Today, our long shot resulted in a few free trinkets, a bit of frustration, and a soaking from a rainstorm that we would have avoided, had we just stayed home. We explored a new place in our city, and we learned a little something about how the world works. No big payoff, but no disasters either, and a story that we can retell and embellish to our hearts' content.
 
We would have stayed a lot drier with the sure thing, but it seems to me that today, this long shot paid off.