For some folks, the ride only lasts eight seconds—that’s all they get. One wild, chaotic burst of adrenaline, clinging to the back of a beast that doesn’t want to be tamed. Some never even make it out of the gate. Others never worked up the nerve to step foot in the arena at all, too spooked by the noise, the dust, or the chance they might get thrown.

But every now and then, there are a few who hang on—not just for those eight seconds, but for something a whole lot longer. For them, the ride doesn’t end when the buzzer sounds. It becomes a way of life. The ups, the jolts, the hard landings—they take it all in stride, because quitting just ain’t in their bones.

Is it a metaphor? Maybe. We won’t pretend to have all the answers. All we know is that life comes at you fast, it bucks hard, and if you’re not holding on tight, it’ll toss you clean out of the saddle. So we grip the rope, plant our boots, and lean into the chaos with everything we’ve got.

Because when it comes down to it—if you ain’t ridin’, you’re dyin’.