(begin dramatic music here)

I'm channel-flipping last night, looking for something to watch while on the treadmill, as I've seen the rerun of Law & Order already. I hit channel down toward the networks, landing ever so briefly on CSI: Miami. I'm just in time to watch some goofy-looking guy, dressed as if doubling for an orange pushup cone, say to some buxom blonde (also in orange), "This is serious. You could end up losing your life." To which the blonde replied something like, "But if I don't, I could end up losing my career!"

And in the nanosecond before I hit the button to continue channel-surfing, it occurred to me: I have never, ever had someone warn me that I could lose my life /my career / it all / insert something tremendous here. And I have never issued such a warning myself.

Thank goodness. I'm not sure I could handle the resulting

adrenaline
noun
A hormone secreted by the adrenal glands that helps the body meet physical or emotional stress. Adrenaline plays a very large role in the fight or flight reaction, which refers to the various processes that occur within the body when it is confronted with some form of mental or physical stress.
"adrenaline." The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Answers.com 12 Apr. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/adrenaline