This summer I went on vacation with my kids, my parents, my sister and her family and my boyfriend. It was an interesting mix of people and a fun trip. We camped in Yosemite for a week and for someone more accustomed to room service than roughing it…well, let’s just say it took a little getting used to.
But the scenery was beautiful and I wrote my April 2010 Desire sitting by a high-mountain alpine lake in Yosemite. It was exquisite.
But the high point of my trip was when we visited Rainbow Pools. At Rainbow Pools there is an outcropping of rocks that kids and daredevils jump from into the pool. I’m not good with numbers so I can’t tell you how high up I was but it was higher than the highest diving board at the community pool!
My nephew who is a daredevil had been teasing my kids with the fact that he always jumps and telling them if they weren’t cowards they would do it too. My daughter who his four years older than the daredevil wanted to do it and my son who is the daredevils age was pondering it too.
But when we got there it was high and my daughter spent twenty minutes sitting up on the rock thinking about jumping. My son took the plunge from the lower portion of the rock and my 69 year old father did the same. But my daughter was just sitting there.
I was encouraging her from my safe post at the bottom of the rocks and she looked over at me and said, “I’ll do it if you do.”
Later she admitted she never thought I’d do it. To be honest I didn’t think I would either. But I’m a mom and I want my kids to try everything. And I knew my son wasn’t going to take this higher jump unless I did. So I said Okay!
I climbed up there and stood on the precipice and all the other people at the pools that day looked up at me and when I hesitated they started cheering me on. One mother said to me, it’s easier than childbirth–do it for mom’s everywhere. Do it so that kids know that dad’s aren’t the only ones who do this kind of thing!
And my legs started shaking and I honestly thought I would chicken-out. But then I looked back at my daughter and I wanted her to do this. I wanted her to know that trying the things that scare you sometimes bring the biggest reward so I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and stepped off the ledge.
It was exhilarating when I hit that icy cold pond. But the real thrill for me came when my daughter jumped a minute later and then my son. We all hugged each other in the pool and smiled at each other. We had done it.
What about you? Have you done anything that was scary and felt good about it?
