Thrown in Three Seconds

I was in Texas last week with my daughter for a soccer tournament.

This was my first trip to the Lone Star State, and I wasn’t leaving without experiencing a Texas rodeo.

A bull rider bursts out of the chute. Less than three seconds later, he’s airborne. Not nudged off, not gently dislodged. Launched. Fifteen feet up, legs above his head, with the bull already turning back toward him before he lands on the dirt.

Eight seconds is the goal in bull riding. He didn’t get half of that.

The crowd shared a collective, shocked, audible “whoa!”

His reaction, however, couldn’t have been more different. He expected to get thrown off the bull.

Bull riders don’t enter the arena hoping they won’t get tossed. They assume they will. They train for it and condition their minds and bodies for impact. They rehearse the dismount, study how to fall, how to roll, how to protect their head, and how to get clear of danger.

They prepare for the disruption that comes from choosing to enter the arena and ride the bull.

The Skill Nobody Talks About

We spend a lot of time preparing to win.

• To close the deal

• To give the speech

• To grow the business

• To raise great kids

But how much time do we spend preparing to be thrown?

Because being thrown off our game is a part of life for all of us.

• A diagnosis

• A market downturn

• A family conflict

• A child struggling

• A spouse needing care

• A plan that doesn’t unfold the way we expected

Life does not promise eight clean seconds. Sometimes it gives you three.

The bull rider knows something most of us resist: Getting hurled off is part of the ride.

The question is not if we suddenly find ourselves in the dirt, but how prepared we are when it happens.

Daily Arena Work

As parents and grandparents, we get thrown all the time.

Plans change. Kids make decisions we wouldn’t. Health shifts. Schedules collapse. Emotions run hot. Expectations get bucked.

If we expect a perfectly smooth ride, every disruption feels personal. 

If we expect the toss, we respond differently.

Preparation changes reaction.

• Emotionally prepared → We pause instead of panic.

• Mentally prepared → We think instead of spiral.

• Physically prepared → We have energy reserves when needed.

The rider in Texas didn’t argue with gravity. He tucked and absorbed the impact. 

Then he got up, ready to do it all again.

That’s a skill.

Retirement: The Longer Ride

Now let’s talk about something most people simply hope will go “smooth.”

Retirement.

We plan for income, project returns, and estimate expenses.

But are we prepared to be thrown?

Because statistically, something will happen.

• Long-term care needs

• A spouse passing sooner than expected

• Investment volatility

• Inflation that erodes purchasing power

• Family members needing support

• Tax rules shifting

Just like that bull rider, you may only get three seconds of warning.

If your plan assumes nothing goes wrong, every disruption can feel catastrophic. If your plan assumes something eventually will, the toss becomes manageable through prepared expectation.

This doesn’t mean you want it to happen. No one is rooting for disruption. But it does mean that if it happens, you are as ready as possible to handle it with grace and equanimity.

The Hidden Advantage of Expecting the Toss

Bull riders don’t get braver because they avoid falling.

They get braver because they practice falling.

Prepared people aren’t calmer because nothing goes wrong.

They’re calmer because they expected it might.

In retirement planning, this means:

• Liquidity for flexibility

• Estate planning before it’s urgent

• Long-term care strategy before it’s necessary

• Income structures that account for volatility

• Conversations with family before crisis forces them

Preparation doesn’t prevent the toss, but it absolutely softens the landing.

What I Saw in Texas

After that rider hit the ground, the bullfighters moved in. The rider rolled clear, stood up, shook it off, and walked out under his own power.

He didn’t look shocked.

He looked trained.

That's the image that has stayed with me.

Not because he flew fifteen feet in the air, but because he knew he might.

And he got back on the bull and rode anyway.

The Question for All of Us

We are all in the arena.

Parents. Grandparents. Business owners. Retirees. Caregivers. Friends.

The goal is not to eliminate risk; that’s not realistic.

The goal is to be prepared when life throws you off.

Because it will.

And when it does, the difference between chaos and clarity is preparation.

Eight seconds would be nice.

But sometimes you only get three.

The people who do best aren’t the ones who avoid the ride.

They’re the ones who prepared for the toss.

The Practical Version of “Tuck and Roll”

Preparation in retirement isn’t just about rates of return.

It’s about options.

Liquidity is what allows you to adjust when life changes quickly. It gives you room to make decisions from strength instead of urgency. It lets you respond instead of react.

For many families, a large portion of their net worth sits inside the walls of their home. That equity often goes untouched in planning conversations, even though it may represent the single largest reservoir of flexibility available.

Used thoughtfully, home equity can function like the rider’s tuck and roll. It doesn’t prevent the fall. It softens it. It creates space. It buys time.

Time to decide.

Time to stabilize.

Time to protect other assets.

Time to preserve dignity and independence.

Not every family needs to use that option.

But every family should at least understand it before the arena door swings open.

Because when life throws you, clarity and liquidity tend to travel together.

If you want to pressure-test your retirement plan and explore where flexibility truly exists, let’s have that conversation now - before the ride becomes unpredictable.