Diving in

I realized this morning that I approach life the same way I approach swimming; I dive right in.

At the lap pool, I jump in and begin swimming immediately. At a recreational pool, I jump in and immediately go under. At the beach, I don't dip a toe in the ocean, then wade up to my ankles, then my knees... all the while acclimating myself to the water temperature. No, I am the fool who runs in as fast and as far as I can before diving under a wave (and most likely losing my bathing suit in the process... good thing the Atlantic Ocean is so dark and murky, or I'd have been arrested for indecent exposure many, many times).

That's how I live my life, too. I jump in with both feet. I weigh the consequences of my actions, sure. I'm no dummy. But once I make a decision to do something, I do it with gusto, with 100% of my being.

Sometimes I jump into something I shouldn't have. Sometimes I hit the bottom. Sometimes I'm left gasping for air.

But I always, always, always come back up to the surface.