Everybody Loves to Jump

Jul 13, 2013 by admin

Last night we had the privilege of hosting one of our younger son’s friends over night on this leg of his travels around the world.  After graduation, this young man took his father’s advice to get the “eff” out of here and do some traveling before settling down into his career, his day-to-day, his grown-up-and-not-a-college-student-anymore routine.  Taking his father’s advice to heart, he booked some tickets for his around the world journey—his destinations all centered around “jump sites” as his passion is sky diving.

He had his first jump after making a New Year’s resolution with an older brother that they would jump together … a bucket list kind of thing.  That was was 5 years ago and he, unlike his brother who said once was enough, has been jumping ever since.

He shared bits of his experiences with us this morning during his one-night layover between Spain and Alaska.  His adventures have included bathing in a stream with hash-smoking gypsies in Norway, getting a raw deal from some bad sushi he consumed, and spending ten days in Paris with no agenda and no idea about where he’d stay, who with, and for how long … and loving every minute of it, meeting interesting people, and doing exceptional and ordinary things.

I asked him, given the variety of people he’s met and places he’s been, what he thought the citizens of this world had in common.  He pondered a while and then offered simply, “people love to jump.”

I knitted my eyebrows, knowing that I’m a person and wouldn’t jump from anything higher than two feet off the ground unless my life or the lives of my family depended upon it.  I don’t know about that …  His answer didn’t really feel like a universal for me, but what do I know?

When he stood to rise and make his way to SeaTac for Alaska, I hugged him, and thanked him for sharing journey with us. He responded by saying, “well, you’re a part of it now.” My heart melted a little.

It’s been around 30 minutes since he departed our home, and I’ve been thinking about what he said.  “People love to jump.”  I’m thinking he might be right.  See, for him jumping is his passion, his joy, his alive.  He pursues it.  He’s an evangelist for it … recruiting friends to join him.  He’s found community, all around the world, through it. He loves it.  So if by jumping he means something within which to find purpose, meaning, and joy, then yeah people love to jump.  And if they don’t then, damn it, they should.

My name is Nicole, and I love to jump … into writing, into my family, into my friendships and people and things that make me feel alive and give me energy, value, and joy.

What are you jumping into?

Peace and Blessings,

Nicole Y. Walters