Jumping off a cliff is not my idea of fun, nor is it why I go to beach, nor why I pack a picnic. Jumping off a cliff is for crazy people…. well actually most people who know me think I am crazy, so I guess I shouldn't say that jumping off a cliff is for crazy people because I would never do it, not even for a million dollars. (Okay, I would for a million dollars. I probably would for a thousand dollars, probably even for five hundred dollars… but that is the bottom line, really it is.)
Though the rest of my family goes to the beach to jump off the cliffs for the fun of it. They could care less about my nerves, they could care less if I threaten to eat the entire picnic by myself if they continue to jump.
Therefore,
We go to the beach. They jump. I sit and eat the picnic.
Everyone is happy, even if someone has indigestion.
French Husband jumping off the cliff backwards
Note: His toes are on the edge.
I ate the brownies watching this.
Jumping off a cliff is one thing. Standing on one's tiptoes on the edge of an uneven cliff to do a back flip is another.
Really crazy.
I cannot do a back flip off my bed, let alone off a cliff, not for a million dollars, not even to save my soul.
Me, with orange sandals, red toe polish, standing at the edge of the sea, watching the cliff jumpers, while eating and taking a few photos.
I asked French Husband why he felt compelled to do a back flip. He said, "Well Sacha jumped off a higher cliff, so I had to show him something tricky, you know to look good."
"Oh I see, I guess you could call it a male-bonding-guy-thing, right?" I said with brownie breath.
"No, not really," he said. He went on to surprise me when he added, "Sacha inspires me to do more than I think I can do. I want to inspire him too."
I looked at the empty picnic basket, and swallowed hard.
Sacha jumping off a higher cliff.
Lovely… inspiration.
French Husband doing a back flip off the cliff.
Lovely.
The brownies I ate were thinking to do the same thing.
Lovely, father and son doing the cliff thing.
A few weeks ago my cousin Mary and a few of her friends came to visit. We went to the beach. Sacha asked them if they wanted to jump off the cliffs and they said yes.
I did not eat. Instead I counted heads.
Blew the last lingering thoughts I had about that male bonding thing out of the water….
Sacha lead them to the cliff, along the back side, up, up, up they went…
Then they climbed down to the four meter (Thirteen feet) cliff. At this point I wondered if I was crazy for taking four teenage girls and four teen age boys to the beach. Maybe I should have stayed home and made brownies or crepes or something…
But before I could finish that thought…
They jumped in one by one.
Go girls!
The photo is out of focus, I zoomed in as much as I could given as far away as I was, to see closer the look on Sacha's face, he was impressed with the gallant effort of the girls.
I am glad we didn't make brownies, or crepes or something.
Sacha went to stay with my family in California for the summer.
French Husband and I are off to the beach this evening…
Who is going to jump off the cliffs now?
Not for a million dollars-
Not to save my soul-
Not for the picnic-
Maybe in honor of Sacha and those inspiring California girls-
Or simply for the fun of it-
I will jump!
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Who has inspired you to do something you never thought you would do?
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