"First you jump off the cliff and then build wings on the way down." -Ray Bradbury

I can think of so many opportunities that I have passed up because the cliff was too steep, the landing below too hard, or the fall too breathtaking, too risky, too hazardous. I remember jumping off the high dive into Grizzly pool after swimming lessons. Sometimes my neck hurt, sometimes I worried I had really hurt myself. They eventually took away the high dive. I never found out why but I can hypothesis that there had been too many casualties and it was too dangerous for its own good. Fortunately, the jump off the cliff of opportunities is not as mortally dangerous as high dives and though the landing may be rough, the water hard as rocks, and the downward plunge breathtaking and heart stopping, taking a risk, taking the step into unknown air will ultimately be an elevation to higher plateaus. Right now my cliff is a soccer league I joined at the University of Washington, finding and establishing friendships with people (other than my lovely/ perfect/ awesome housemates), spending my Fall and Winter in a meaningful and life-changing way and realizing that things will never be comfortable. I guess, you can't think about the results of your actions too hard or you will always take the safer route. Jumping into things unprepared forces you to improvise, be creative and rise to the occasion. God, I hope I can still walk after soccer practice tomorrow!