The day my parents came home with a trampoline......everyone took a turn, even Mom and Dad--which I thought was ridiculous. They were grown-ups after all. Smiles and excited screaming filled the yard.
JUMP!
You know that free-fall sensation when the ground rushes up, your stomach clenches, and adrenaline tenses every muscle. Life is comprised of those moments of decision, those turning points that make you either want to puke, or scream from pure exhilaration. But if we aren't willing to jump, how will we ever know what waits? Will we hit the ground and spring back up, or will we be a pancake?
I tend to be trigger shy. Wasn't always that way. In fact, this development is something that's come about thanks to several pancake experiences. Were they true pancakes? I don't know, but my inflation machine is starting to run out of batteries. (Thus the scientists locked in my Floridian basement are working on a never-ending power supply.) Still, the older I get, the more I realize this life only happens once. So what if we fail? Did we learn something? (Perhaps how NOT to fail next time?)
Happiness results from overcoming the odds.
Walt Disney took CRAZY risk when he put out Snow White. He mortgaged everything--his home, his company, everything. He and his wife held their breath as their world threatened to collapse in and crush them. But the opposite happened. The thriving business that is now Disney bloomed out of that single terror-inducing risk. Can you imagine the world without Disney?
And finally, a quick footnote, I would not remember any of the aforementioned experiences if I'd not had the foresight to record them in a JOURNAL. Yup. That's right. A second "J" word! (Watch out--they'll be popping up all over the place today.)
Have you overcome your odds? What pancake experiences have you survived?
I learned something about Disney, thanks! And thanks for the two J words. That reminds me, I need to get my journal caught up to today (:
ReplyDeleteI find if I don't write daily, I forget all the little things.
Deleteawesome post! It's so true that we have to "just do it" regardless of the consequences because sometimes we spring back. If we didn't JUMP, we'd be forever regretting "what could've been"
ReplyDeleteJamie Dement (LadyJai)
http://writebackwards.we3dements.com
“Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”
Delete― John Greenleaf Whittier, Maud Muller - Pamphlet
i am a great believer in jumping on in if it is meant to be--great post!
ReplyDeleteAnd sometimes when it's not? I mean how can you know the difference until you've tried?
Delete"Pancakes" are so not fun, but we learn from them. Wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteTrue, true. And how could we appreciate the full rounded successes without having experienced some flatness?
DeleteYeah, it can be hard to overcome our pancake moments. They seem to get flatter as we get older, don't they? Risks are incredibly hard, and I'm still not very good at them. But there is a moment when the best answer is to jump.
ReplyDeleteSo true. How dare we ever get old, eh? ;)
DeleteAh, the pancake moments. Exactly like falling, stomach up in your throat! :) Good analogy.
ReplyDeleteApparently I've had a few of them--but who hasn't? ;)
DeleteI love those moments. I just find as I get older, they're harder to find. Life is more settled and things don't come up the way they did when I was younger. So to get those thrilling experiences, it's important to force yourself out of your comfort zone and your routine.
ReplyDeleteI don't know. I'm getting older and I still find too many jump moments. I'm wishing they'd slow down a little. =)
DeleteTaking a jump or a leap of faith is always exciting but, no matter how you land, that free falling feeling is the best. :-)
ReplyDeleteOr the scariest.
DeleteYou know what else is crazy? The children around me had another snow day today. No school because of the snow and you have a trampoline. I am so jealous! I love that free-falling sensation!
ReplyDeleteP.s. I posted a cheese predicament (aside from A-Z) in which I would enjoy your opinion on :)
Great post!
Ooh... You had me at cheese. =) (Viva Florida, eh?)
DeleteInteresting entry.
ReplyDeleteInteresting good, interesting bad?
DeleteYou tell a great story. Now, I want to soar on the trampoline--take a risk. Trouble is, there are so many novels out there. It's hard to compete. Back in Disney's day, things were quieter. As for the journal, a blog has taken over.
ReplyDeleteFrancene.
A - Z Challenge
http://francene-wordstitcher.blogspot.co.uk/
Things were definitely quieter back in his day, but there also wasn't as much opportunity. Ah, the trade-offs, eh?
DeleteI've had many pancake moments. Thankfully, I'm usually able to learn from them. Sometimes, though, it takes me more than 1 pancake moment to learn. :(
ReplyDeleteTaMara
Tales of a Pee Dee Mama
Sometimes. I guess some of us need an extra knock over the head, eh? ;)
DeleteCool
ReplyDeleteMy H was happiness
Felt good reading this and jumping on it really seems fun
Good day
Yay! Feet first, eh?
DeleteReading this made me think of something. Have you ever thought of writing for a newspaper? I know KSL is always accepting writers in every capacity and this post reminded me of something that I would have possibly read on KSL.com. I think you would be great! Talk about jumping, eh?
ReplyDeleteLOL. Thanks, Amy. I haven't given it much thought, but it's not a terrible idea. =)
Delete