As I descend down into the unfamiliar space my eyes remained in disbelief. A large pool of water sits surrounded by tall smooth rocks. Friends and families gather around to watch as the youth plummet down into chilled water from cliffs high above. I tip toed across a small stream hoping to avoid the cold water as it sent chills up my body. My friend and I found a nice boulder to sit upon and took in the scene, mentally preparing for our jump. For weeks my friend had told me I had to go to Paradise Cove and jump off the cliff. I was excited by the idea but excitement and action are two different things. Soon enough it was time. We climbed up the cliff and it didn’t really hit me until we arrived to the top. “What am I doing here?” the annoying voice in my head had to ask. The thoughts weaved into my mind faster and faster. “I don’t have to do this” “Who am I doing this for” “What if I don’t jump out far enough out” “What if I land the wrong way”. I could feel the eyes of the people below staring up at me. Finally, I took a breath. A roar of confidence took over me. I counted to three. As the last word uttered out of my mouth I jumped out into the icy cool water. Unfortunately, my lack of experience led to a pretty gnarly bruise on the back of my legs. The loud smack of my body hitting the water caused my audience to express a large gasp in fear for my safety. However the even larger smile on my face as I rose out of the water told them all I was quite alright. I felt a sense of freedom and cleansing. As if all my worries were left on the top of the cliff, and the smack of the water placed all the sense right back into me.
