Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Passionate Nut and a Place to Fall

Have you ever wanted to do something so badly that you are willing to risk everything to get it? Some call it passion, some call it crazy. I call it Passion Nut.

Sacha, my teenage son, has a Passion Nut in his heart, which makes me extra spiritual, praying constantly and asking God yet another thing, "Please protect Sacha."

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you do whatever you can to obtain it? Sacha has spent hours on his BMX bike. I have spent hours praying. His body has nicks to prove it and I have rouged knees.

Sacha's Passion Nut: Wanting to do a back-flip with his BMX.

"Dear God, why didn't you give me a son who had a Passion Nut for the cello?"

"Dear Coco, why didn't you marry a man who played the violin?"

"Dear G, why didn't you make my heart one that followed music instead of dirt? Dirt like in wild sports, you know what I mean…. outdoor extreme sports, you know with bikes, planes and ropes…"

"Dear C, you are who you are. Free Will Baby, you know."

"Yeah Yeah. Whatever. Protect Sacha please."

The other day Sacha went to the FOAM PITS. It is a place for BMX riders to practice jumps. Instead of falling on concrete the jumps are filled with foam; so when you land you are protected.

Wouldn't it be easier if our Passion Nuts had a soft place to fall? I know if the risk didn't involve pain or injury I might be braver to do daring things. Then again I doubt I have ever had a daring physical Passion Nut in my body. Emotional risks yes, physical risk no way. Nevertheless if our Passion Nuts had a soft place to land while trying… wouldn't that make trying less fearful?


Sacha went to the Foam Pit, his friend Nicolas took the slow motion video as a way to study his position and learn from his mistakes.

Dear God, May our Passionate Nut(s) have a place to experiment with soft landings, and a slow motion tape to go over showing us how to improve.

Comments

45 responses to “Passionate Nut and a Place to Fall”

  1. Merisi

    Houston, we got perfect landing! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Julie M ~ The Little Red Shop

    It looks like he had good form…but what do I know. : ) I’ll pray for both of your flyin’ boys safety too!
    : )
    Julie M.

    Reply
  3. jeannette stgermain

    Oh, do I know about this! Guess there are more parents who pray these types of prayers LOL Especially, parents of “wild” children!

    Reply
  4. Marie-Noëlle

    I like your post, Corey and
    I like Merisi’s comment as well !!!
    I understand what you mean and feel !!!
    Last month my husband had a bad ski fall
    He badly fell on his cell phone (that I urge him to take “in case”!) and hurt his rib. Thinking it was only a bad shock and only a matter of bruises, he carried on skiing all day. But the pain made him stress and fall again.
    In fact his rib was broken and with his second fall, he tore his knee ligament !!!
    Mind you, no moguls, no acroski, no half pipe, no freestyle and no back flip … but mere downhill skiing !
    Should I whisper “yoga” to his ear ????

    Reply
  5. jend’isère

    Nothing like testing your maternal-worrying-instinct to the max. Try to think of the foam pit like those balls kiddies jump into at fast-food restaurants, nerve_wraking as well.

    Reply
  6. Catalina

    Sacha did it great! isn’nt it? but the landing…I guess. This foam pit is just great!! (I believe somebody came with this idea inspired by mother’s prayers….)
    Great post Corey! as always
    Love this:
    “Dear C, you are who you are. Free Will Baby, you know.”
    I know….I love it for me!!!! not sure about the love ones… 😉

    Reply
  7. Julienne

    Boys will be boys and men will be men…but we love them anyway!! I so know that worry.

    Reply
  8. Paulita

    I’m not surprised he’s daring. You’re much more daring than you give yourself credit for. Moving to a new country and raising a family. You’ve been practicing without a safety net for years.

    Reply
  9. Beachy

    Corey, I cringed when I saw this video! You are a MUCH stronger woman than I could ever be… my hubby and BIL were avid dirt-bikers when they were kids. They belonged to a big group that did competitions. When I married, I prayed to God for all daughters, so my kids wouldn’t follow in their dad’s footsteps… I now have one daughter and THREE sons (I think God was telling me something)! lol

    Reply
  10. Christine Wittmann

    Young folks think they’re invincible, immortal, etc. etc….I guess I did too, but the chances I took were more like yours..emotional, nothing that involved much physical risk except hopping on planes or ships to cross “the pond” just as you did. In many ways, our lives have been similar.
    I sympathesize with you and hope you have great doctors and a great health insurance plan over there!

    Reply
  11. Karin

    So cool! That was awesome. 🙂 Now, if only he would flip into large chunks of foam forever……

    Reply
  12. Sheala

    Holy Moly!!!!!
    Very cool 🙂

    Reply
  13. Jeanne

    Ahhhhhh the young
    I love you my darling one
    Jeanne3♥
    My son is treking through the wilderness right now on another world adventure and I will not be able to reach him by any communication until after April 17th Oh how I pray constantly too.
    I love you

    Reply
  14. Vicki

    Wow Sacha…..my heart is still fluttering since watching the video!! Maybe he’ll be in the X games!!

    Reply
  15. Denise Moulun-Pasek

    Sometimes I wish that life was a giant foam pit for my boys but what kind of life would that be right?
    My boys smoke cigarillos a few times a week and it makes me cringe.
    Got to love ’em.

    Reply
  16. Lilly

    Wow, Sacha’s flip looked perfect. The foam pit is a great idea but I can’t help thinking that there’s still a metal bike involved in the fall, which might hurt a bit.
    My son just headed off at 5am to go skiing for a few days with friends and their parents. May they all be in a safe bubble driving and skiing!

    Reply
  17. Mo’a

    I sometimes think that God made Mother’s to pray for their Sons.

    Reply
  18. Jeanette M.

    Dear God, thank you for giving me a girl instead of a boy. I now know, a boy would have given me a heart attack – and thank you for giving Corey foam…

    Reply
  19. Marilyn

    It makes me want to hold my breath for Sasha and wish him well. Foam pits are a good thing! I wish foam pits will always be there to catch his falls. Sometimes it is better that mothers don’t always know. He is making his heart happy.

    Reply
  20. Star

    Your men are so adventurous–may they always have soft landings (and may they always have you to have those celestial conversations on their behalf!).

    Reply
  21. Nana Jo

    My oldest son, Nicholas, announced on his 19th birthday that he was celebrating by going sky-diving. He invited us to go and watch. I couldn’t because I was terrified for him. My husband did and took an amazing sequence of pictures which we had framed and gave him for Christmas that year. My second son plays ice hockey in a league. I can’t bear to watch him being slammed into the boards, but I try not to say much when he winces a little from a fresh bruise or strained muscle.
    I wish all our ‘passionate nuts’ the love of mothers to fall back on when the landings do become less than soft.
    Your Sacha looks talented!

    Reply
  22. Kay

    I remember your daughter also jumped out of a plane. I have admired your being able to pray and let go when you want to hold tightly in safety – but if your did, your family would not be all they are. We all pray with you for your family and ours and we thank God for your sense of humor and all the love and laughter that is also there with the prayers and holding of breath.

    Reply
  23. Nancy from Mass

    Sacha did that flip pretty well! I am impressed. 🙂
    I wish they had foam pits at the skateboard park! I try to not be a worry-wart mom but anytime anyone falls, I hold my breath until they get up again!

    Reply
  24. Tracy

    Like father like son like daughter.

    Reply
  25. Through the Milkhouse Door

    My husband dislocated his shoulder while skiing through the trees. What does he do? Hits his shoulder against the same tree to ‘pop’ it back in and contined on his way. Another great post, Corey!
    Laurie
    SF

    Reply
  26. AmyKortuem

    IF ONLY all our passions came with a foam pit to land in! A musician friend of mine used to put this on all his posters: Live. In Concert. Without a Net. It’s true! When I walked on stage at my first harp concert and 800 people were in the audience, I knew I had a choice: freeze and freak out or walk forward bearing the glory. Foam pit or not, it worked!
    Go Sacha, go!

    Reply
  27. Kathleen in Oregon

    How well I know those prayers. My husband and 2 boys are all risk takers-terrifying! When they go skiing I pray all day, especially for the oldest “boy” (turns 18 this month), he goes to the “bowl”, jumps, and skis STRAIGHT down. No need to learn how to turn, turning just SLOWS you down.

    Reply
  28. Rachel

    And I worry about my girls walking along the stone wall. I feel for you. My husband used to fly aerobatic airplanes. I only saw him do it once. That was enought. He has since stopped and I thank God for that.

    Reply
  29. Shelley

    If it weren’t scary…it wouldn’t be exciting, foam pits notwithstanding.

    Reply
  30. Peggy

    My son, now a fairly sedate 40 year old high school math teacher, used to ski jump with his cross country skis, high dive in the quarry, under the no diving sign,etc. He wrote a very thoughtful essay in high school about the importance of risk-taking, both physically, mentally and emotionally. I wish I’d kept it.
    May your risk-taking family always have soft landings.

    Reply
  31. Berlin

    My son has a skateboard. I feel you.

    Reply
  32. Patty

    Ooh that’s so scary, I’ll pray that Sacha dosen’t get any injuries!

    Reply
  33. Alicia

    Oh Corey, I feel for you! My sweet Eleanor is turns 8 months next week and I know the inevitable falls to come while learning to mobilize. It’s SO HARD not to take a running dive into the floor when I see she’s about to hit.
    My mom recently shared a story of when I was about three. My sister and I were bathing in the tub and shoo’d my mom away. She agreed but stayed close by. When she walked back in again, she found me walking, balancing on the edge of the tub. I fear Eleanor will follow in my footsteps.
    Ah, there is a sisterhood in motherhood.

    Reply
  34. Aina

    Gosh, this is so risky!! It is like holding an egg when balancing on a strand of hair. But I am sure it is quite thrilling to see the world upside down 🙂
    Corey, if you want, I have a giveaway myself this week. You`ve had so many yourself lately, just wanted to say, you are very welcome to participate in mine.
    Have the best weekend!!
    Friendly, Aina

    Reply
  35. kerry

    I have a son who LOVES to surf….the bigger the better,but who also is long time friends with Robbie Maddison !!
    Ask Sacha……..he will tell you what Robbie does for a living.
    We have photos of my son’s 18th and there is Robbie with a broken leg !!
    All we can do is hold our breath,best wishes,
    Kerry.

    Reply
  36. mindi

    What a risk taker! He sure has a talent that God gave him and may his passion for the sport give him the drive to do great things and have great landings! You are wonderfully supportive and I am sure that helps him all the more!

    Reply
  37. Kieren

    My son William is a bmx boy too. I feel your pain!

    Reply
  38. Alena

    Dear God, please keep Sacha safe.
    Dear God, please keep every mothers son safe.
    Thank you

    Reply
  39. joanne nixon

    dear mr G,,,please keep our loved ones safe, and please keep us from going crazy….amen

    Reply
  40. Brother Mathew

    Sacha,
    Youve got that thing nailed. Quit messing with the foam pit and take it to dirt! Way Cool!
    Proud Uncle Mathew

    Reply
  41. Elaine L.

    Corey, you have certainly been blessed with the ability to let your loved ones be the people they want to become. I admire your ability to let go. And, I do believe that you and God have a perfect understanding.
    ~elaine~

    Reply
  42. Sherry

    Holy moly, it is so hard to let them go and find their own life! The foam pit is cool! All the best to you in coping with it all.
    Sherry

    Reply
  43. Gwen

    COREY!!!! I would have bitten off every fingernail! Had to share this with my daughter who never lets my gradnson (9 years old) do anything “dangerous”! You have to let them try things but it’s really hard!

    Reply
  44. Danna

    As my boys would say: “OMG!!! That was AWESOME”.

    Reply
  45. Kim Living Life

    Corey, my twin daughters jumped from a helicopter over the tallest mountain in Switzerland they have a dvd of it and I cringe every time i see it. My son in law does huge jumps on his dirt bike he’s 31 so you may have a long time to suffer through. Nothing brings us to our knees like our kids safety.

    Reply

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