A Leap of Faith

In honor of leap day, I decided to take a leap, quite literally.  I jumped off a bridge.

Mandy, Abby, and I were in the town of Baños, Ecuador where there is a bridge some 100 meters or so above a ravine that you can jump off (with a safety harness, of course). Although I had already bungee jumped from 134 meters, somehow, this time I was much more nervous. I think part of it was because my body knew what to expect now, so the adrenaline started pumping earlier. Also, when I bungee jumped, I didn't have time to get nervous: they basically push you off, whereas this time, the guide asked if I was ready, calmly counted to three, etc. This gave my nerves time to get worked up. Looking over the bridge for about an hour before taking the plunge probably didn't help either.

But finally, I just relaxed, and jumped. I don't know why people (er...I) do these crazy things. I think it makes you feel alive and courageous for taking a risk, overcoming a fear, and putting yourself out of your comfort zone. This whole trip is really one big leap of faith for me. Every day I'm taking risks, overcoming fears, and putting myself out of my comfort zone, but just not always in such a big and obvious way as jumping off a bridge. I think it's somewhat appropriate for this Lenten season: I'm giving up a home and comforts in order to discover new things, find adventure, and learn to live simply.

So while it may be terrifying to take the leap, the things you learn about yourself along the way are worth the momentary pang of fear.
This was my last big adventure in Ecuador. A few days later, Abby and I packed up, said our tearful goodbyes to Mandy, and headed off to Peru to take more leaps (this time only figuratively) and have more adventures.