cold, cold, cold.
So tonight we are jumping in the lake at midnight for Shannon's birthday. We started this tradition last April for Josh's birthday. It's something that I have always enjoyed even before I came to Montevallo. While this event seems like a very stupid, very foolish, and very cold thing to do, there actually is a point to it. It has, to me anyway, symbolic significance which is explained in a journal entry from last semester.
April 18, 2005
Jumping in cold water is such a rewarding experience. But there's so much more to event than just a bunch of college kids jumping in a lake. To me, anyway, its much more personal. Sometimes in life you just have to let go of everything and do something amazing. With the lake, you just have to stop worrying about getting sick or being too cold, or bugs or dirty water, or getting your clothes wet. You just have to forget about it and jump. Some people, myself included, have a natural tendancy to withdrawl from things that are sometimes out of the ordinary because of fear. Ther's a little voice that tells you not to go and stay where its safe. We hide under heavy cloaks and we don't let the world touch us. You can live that way but what's the point? We have to take off our burdens and get up on a rock. You have to take everything; your sorrows, your worries, your fears, your anger, your frustration and kick them back like a hard liquor. Feel them burn as they go down and jump. Let go of everything and create something worth living for. If we can't make our days worth getting up for then what's the point in getting up at all? I know its a cliche, but make things count. If the sun is out, go outside. If someone asks you to jump in a lake, do it, and don't think twice about it. You might get hurt every once in a while but you will sleep so much better for it. Don't miss your opportunities to make things great. Don't be irrisponsible. Take care of yourself. Take care of the things that are important. Stay focused. But when you have a moment, take off your glasses or squint your eyes and look at hte world in a blur. See the light and see the colors. Don't look at details. Find truth. Its there, in those moments.
April 18, 2005
Jumping in cold water is such a rewarding experience. But there's so much more to event than just a bunch of college kids jumping in a lake. To me, anyway, its much more personal. Sometimes in life you just have to let go of everything and do something amazing. With the lake, you just have to stop worrying about getting sick or being too cold, or bugs or dirty water, or getting your clothes wet. You just have to forget about it and jump. Some people, myself included, have a natural tendancy to withdrawl from things that are sometimes out of the ordinary because of fear. Ther's a little voice that tells you not to go and stay where its safe. We hide under heavy cloaks and we don't let the world touch us. You can live that way but what's the point? We have to take off our burdens and get up on a rock. You have to take everything; your sorrows, your worries, your fears, your anger, your frustration and kick them back like a hard liquor. Feel them burn as they go down and jump. Let go of everything and create something worth living for. If we can't make our days worth getting up for then what's the point in getting up at all? I know its a cliche, but make things count. If the sun is out, go outside. If someone asks you to jump in a lake, do it, and don't think twice about it. You might get hurt every once in a while but you will sleep so much better for it. Don't miss your opportunities to make things great. Don't be irrisponsible. Take care of yourself. Take care of the things that are important. Stay focused. But when you have a moment, take off your glasses or squint your eyes and look at hte world in a blur. See the light and see the colors. Don't look at details. Find truth. Its there, in those moments.