How do you decide if you can drive through a snowstorm? How high are you willing to climb up a ladder to change a lightbulb? Can you prepare a dinner party for eight? When was the last time you discovered a shortcut through a forest? For all these challenges, there is only one way to find out. A person needs to devote some time, energy, and physical engagement. Smart talk, texting, virtual goggles, reading, and rationalising won't get the job done. The hands have to be on the wheel of the car to learn the feel of slipping tyres. The feet need to be balanced on the ladder rungs to detect the tipsiness. The cook has to already know how to chop, fry, and combine four complicated recipes so they are all finished by a certain time. Finding a shortcut through the forest demands vigilance, courage, and the ability to keep one's wits, particularly at that moment of self-doubt when the journey seems more like a longcut than a shortcut.
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