Leaving Safety Behind.

That HAS to be the title of my first blog post. Since 6:45 Am Central Standard Time, March 11th, 2014, I knew I needed to tell you (whoever YOU are) about leaving Safety behind. I've been struggling with the idea of how to describe my theories of life, how to help you get the knowledge I've been gaining bit by bit since I was kid, so you can have a great life. I want you to have a great life. I want you to be so happy that my fear of you starts to wane.

Because, to be honest, you scare me. When I lock my doors at night, it's you I am trying to prevent from sneaking into my house and - who knows what?

When I leave a little cash in my account, or when I take the opposite side on a trade, or when I put an ounce of gold in a safety deposit box, it's you I am afraid of. You who might derail the economy, or borrow too much or spend too much or work too little or sign some law that gives everyone everything.

So I hedge. I leave a little sleep behind to spend a few minutes on night watchman rounds in my own house. I buy stocks and options and then bet against them with a small portion of my assets. I buy a car made out of German steel with 385 air bags when an American-made Corvette would make me happier. Heck, the Porsche James Dean died in would make me even happier! But that's not safe.

I've always known that safety is an illusion. You can get vaccinated and still get the flu. You can eat right and still get fat. You can go out for a run and break your leg.

Today, however, I realized that although 'safety' is an illusion, Safety will cost you the championship. Come back later for the story of the 2014 Iditarod race, from the perspective of a trader / paranoid parent / investor / surgeon. This intro is meant to throw down the gauntlet (to myself) to make sure I tell you the story. You might hear the story somewhere else, and that's okay. I just want to make sure that the meaning of a dog-sled race at the edge of our continent is not lost on you.

Alex Wade, 3/11/14