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I’ve had thousands of days when I’ve felt alive. But when today’s prompt asked for one moment, a particular morning came back to me.

I was probably twenty or twenty-one. I had a nearly new Corvette, and I thought I was invincible. It was early, beautiful out, and I was getting onto the expressway.

I nailed it.

I got clocked at a hundred and seventy-something miles an hour coming onto that highway. The police came after me, and I made the decision that I wasn’t stopping.

It turned into a chase. I crossed state lines and got away.

That is a reckless thing to write down. It was a reckless thing to do. But if I’m answering the question honestly, that moment is one I remember vividly.

I felt alive.

More Than Speed

The speed was part of it. But the feeling I’m talking about was what happened once I knew I was being chased and had made that decision.

My attention was on what was happening right then. There was no room for anything else. The car, the road, the risk, the next second. Everything felt immediate.

I loved that rush at the time. Pretending I didn’t would make this a different story from the one I actually lived.

When you’re young, you can mistake getting away with something for being invincible. Looking back, I can see how much was outside my control. I was vulnerable, and so was anybody else who might have been on that road.

Who I Was Then

That was roughly a quarter-century ago. I see it differently today.

I would pull over. There’s a time and a place to go fast, and an expressway isn’t the place for that kind of driving. Getting away that morning didn’t make the decision a good one.

I can remember the excitement and still recognize the danger. Both are part of the truth.

Growing older gives you a different view of your own stories. You remember what you felt, but you also understand consequences you barely considered at the time.

Feeling Everything

I still love the feeling of riding a motorcycle.

The phone is put away. You’re breathing the air, noticing the smells, feeling the temperature change as you ride. Your senses are involved in a way they aren’t when you’re sitting inside a car with the windows up.

You feel connected to where you are. You’re paying attention.

That’s another way I feel alive, and it’s something I can enjoy today without recreating that morning in the Corvette.

An Honest Answer

I’ve felt alive building things, making things happen, and being with people I love. There are plenty of moments I could have chosen for this prompt.

But this one came back clearly: a beautiful morning, a young guy in a Corvette, and a decision that turned a drive into something dangerous.

It isn’t a moment I’d choose to repeat. It’s a moment I remember.

Back then, I thought I was invincible. Today, I know how much I had to lose—and how much living there still is to do.

What’s a moment in your life that made you feel truly alive? And do you see it differently now?

— Nicholas Francis
Modern Day Dealer | NFAFinance.com