This conceptual paper reframes edgework, a theory of consumers’ voluntary risk-taking practices, in terms of propensity rather than identity. Applications of edgework have not sufficiently considered how stages of life within historical and cultural contexts affect patterns of risk-taking. Using the life course perspective, we explore ‘edgeworking’ as an inclination – rather than stable expression – that is sensitive to timing in lives and remains mercurial: often increasing or decreasing depending on one’s changing environment and relationships.