Think before you jump.....

A couple of years ago we traveled to Costa Rica and on one of our excursions I learned a VERY important lesson- think before you jump. We had spent the morning full- throttle four-wheeling the back roads of a small town covered in mud and splashing puddles. The scenery was beautiful and about to get even more spectacular. Our guide led us on a climb to a remote waterfall and once we reached the top he said, "Okay, let's jump!" Are you familiar with the screeching stop noise that happens in comic movies when things are proceeding fabulously and all of a sudden the character realizes the situation in front of him- insert me. Small important detail.... I am deathly afraid of heights. Now, those close to me know that I try to fight this fear every chance I get and that I usually need some time to process the "leap" in front of me. Given time I never walk from the challenge even if it means my eyes are closed. One last thing to rememeber, I would never consider jumping off a perfectly stable rock clinging to rope in order to cool down in the water but since that was what was asked of me- I went for it. Why not? But, I should have stayed to hear the instructions? Because then I would have understood that one should hold onto the knotted section of the rope before completely endangering one's life over the rocks below. Needless to say, I un-gracefully SLID down the rope hitting every knot with my now warped hand, just clearing the rocky landscape beneath me and keenly let go one I recovered my wits and decided I was better off without the rope. Have I mentioned yet that my middle finger was strangely crooked and dis-located? Well, did I also mention that my husband, who is always the optimist, the hall-full glass man, was with me? He said, "Oh, it's fine. You will survive. Nothing to do for a broken finger than to just let it heal." No sympathy, nada, none. So, we continued our day back roading around Costa Rica, right hand on the throttle. We later found a popsicle stick and taped up the finger and poured some rum to ease the pain. The next day with nasty finger and all, I completed the last of our aerial challenges and soared through the trees on a canopy tour. The reason for this tirade, looking back one should always think before you jump. And the pain in my finger reminds me constantly (especially on rainy days) that one should try their best to fully access the situation before they leap forward. At least make sure you understand the instructions and if you just jump- keep that faith that it will work out in the end. I did hit the water, so that was good!