Thinking Ahead

25 September, 13

Now I am the first to admit that I don't look before I leap. I kind of like it that way. No, I did not consider the possibility of rocks or a cypress knot sticking up just under the surface of the water, before I jumped off the platforms at Black Creek. I also did not consider whether the near-rotten boards would support my weight. Or whether anybody had a plan in case somebody broke their neck or some other body part on said stump. Or if everybody in my party could swim. Or what would happen if somebody climbed up and was too scared to jump. I could have thought through all those scenarios, and many more, before I took my girls, nephew, niece and two other little friends to the Black Creek platforms. But I didn't. We just went. And jumped. And Craig was not a strong swimmer. Katherine almost didn't jump. Somebody had a cell phone, I am sure, so 911 was taken care of, and since I jumped first, I was able to confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt, that no stumps, rocks or any other such obstructions stood in our way. Whew! What a relief.

It is in my genetic code, the part of the code in the back alley that never quite made it to the finish line, to jump first and review later. My daddy and I were out shooting his brand new compound bow one day. We lived at 536 West College Avenue, which is smack dab in the middle of town, but we had a back yard. So what would any self-respecting redneck with a new toy do? That's right. We walked up the stairs to the top of the barn in the backyard, turned around and took aim at the hay bale that was propped up against the house. What? That's what the hay bale's there for, stupid.

It turns out that compound bows are incredibly powerful, and in the unpracticed hands of a couple of newbie archers, fairly inaccurate. Technically, I guess the bow is not inaccurate, anymore than my computer is stupid for doing exactly what I tell it to do. Daddy took aim at that hay bale, visions of Big 'Ol Buck dancing through his head.

He just missed a little high, but almost got a doe. My mama just happened to be in her bedroom at the time, which just happened to be the very same room against which our hay bale rested. The arrow just happened to enter the bedroom a few inches above the floor. Looking back, I now know that this was a really cool premonition of things to come in their marriage, but at the time, I just thought my mama almost caught an arrow in the foot. Perhaps we should have put the hay bale against a neighbor's house instead, thereby insuring that nobody of consequence got hurt. You might have some other ideas as well. Please feel free to share.

I am not a planner. I am spontaneous. That is what makes me me. (Is that correct grammar?) Many people asked me what were my plans for Spain, which is a perfectly legitimate question. I came up with some basic answers--learn a new language and culture, expose our kids to same, etc. The truth is, though, that I did not have every little detail worked out. I still don't.

And yet we are here. We haven't found any cypress knots. School is hard, but doable. Susan's back is out. We have some amazing family and friends, both here and back in the USA. And God has an incredible sense of humor.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Jesus, Matthew 6:34, NIV)