Life in the Universe happens in an instant. One minute you are gigantic enormous bubble of gas, and then something belches and everything that was goes flying in every possible direction. Boom, then Burp! Ripples for billions of years.
I would have this dream of walking on a suspension bridge when it would start swaying. At some point I would wake up violently from this dream while falling off the bridge. The exact same dream went on for years. Until while living in the land of mice and swamps, I was given the opportunity to go bungee jumping.
My first experience of this "thrill" ride was filling out the disclaimer forms. It is a group of documents that state in the event of death the company that owns the bungee cords is not responsible. The event of DEATH. The next page will have said something to the effect that I am volunteering to do this thing. Next, there were three people with me going up in the caged platform hoisted by a Crane. It stretched to a height equal to a 15-story building. One person was strapping a large thick rubbery cord to my ankles. Everything that was attached to my legs were fastened by Velcro. The next person was operating the lift, and the third person spent their time looking directly into my eyes and speaking to me. She smiled and talked directly at me telling me that as we rise to the final height of the Crane, they were going to do a final check of the harness to my bungee cord. There was a sequence of events to follow. This girl then told me how I was going to turn and face the opening of the cage, place each hand on the sides of the opening and then we all would count down out loud; 3,2,1, BUNGEE! Then I was to jump off the caged platform. The very next moment as she was finishing the check of my cords, She turned me around and counted 3,2,1, Bungee! I stood confused for a second, staring straight ahead then realized my feet were not on the platform anymore. I was in mid-air… I looked down only to see the ground approaching at an alarming rate… I couldn't think or speak, there was no sound only the rush of air moving quickly past my ears… Something jerked and within a split second I was standing upright again, at that very moment I snapped back into my senses and I remember hearing myself say, I’m alive! Only then, in the next split second did I realize that I was bouncing again on this giant rubber band. Afterwards, I discovered that I had scared myself so badly that I was no longer afraid of falling or of heights. In one spectacular jump I had faced my biggest fear and I won. I remember that for the next 2 weeks after my first bungee jump I was King of the World! I became fearless and I felt as if I had conquered life itself. It was completely empowering on every level and mostly to the very nature of my soul. I was reborn. The nightmares ended after that, and I no longer live in that fear.
It was an instant. Humans make thousands of decisions each day. Most we feel are harmless yet, sometimes they have repercussions that last for the remainder of their lives. These ripples that extend beyond wonder and reason. Every once in a great while we get a chance to look back and wonder, "How did I get HERE!"
(cue in Talking heads music...'by letting the days go by, water holding me down...water flowing underground...')
In an instant every person makes a choice to smile or frown,... the sun is shining, and will go on for a million more years with out us. How can we begin this new season better than the last? Let's all of us buy one flower then give it to the first stranger we pass on the street and say nothing, but walk away. Give it to an unknown office person on a different floor. Leave it on an empty desk as the person is out to lunch, and tell no one. In that instant each of us could create a ripple that will last the rest of your day, and just maybe a little longer. This is all it takes to change a world, that and a carbonated beverage.
Bumba Dee Da,... Happy Trails!
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