Wednesday, March 4, 2015

I'm a Puddle Jumper

"Whether the weather is fine, or whether the weather is not; whether the weather is cold, or whether the weather is hot; we'll weather the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not!" - Unknown

I grew up with a kid that only knew one way in life: skis pointed downhill, full-speed, no fear, no cares, no worries...lots of accidents. 
I, on the other hand, didn't have a broken bone as a child. Not one self-induced stitch. No ambulance rides, no emergency room visits. The only trips to Insta-Care were for the occasional flu bug. That doesn't mean I didn't have fun or experience life. Far from it. 

My dad was an adventurer and that means I joined him for many a crazy adventure. We dog sledded, slept in snow caves, climbed snow-capped peaks, ventured hundreds of feet vertically deep into caves, kayaked rivers, backpacked hundreds of miles... Yet through it all, although we faced the occasional hypothermia scare, lost trails and more than one hair raising experience, I didn't get injured enough to have a physical scar to share as a memoir. 

It's because I'm a puddle jumper. 

This realization came to me  years ago but was reinforced as I was out on a last minute trail run yesterday. Tuesday is not a running day for me. But it had snowed overnight and through the morning so there was a fresh coating of snow on the trails above my house. And I learned last year that I absolutely LOVE running on snow packed trails. It's soft yet fast, quiet and utterly gorgeous. Unfortunately, while the east coast has been clobbered by heavy snows, we here in northern Utah (the Best Snow on Earth) have been largely missed. Which means I have had only a few opportunities to run on snowy trails. This means I made time to hit the trails yesterday evening if only for 3 miles so as to not miss out on what may be the last snow run of the season. 


As I cruised down the trail in childlike delight it occurred to me that I didn't splash through the remnants of the melting snow. I didn't tiptoe around them either. Instead, I jumped over them. My feet still got a little wet here and there but not blister inducing, frozen feet sopping wet. Sure, it was for only 3 miles. But whether 3 miles or 30 miles, why suffer unnecessarily? If I can jump over the puddle why would I run through the puddle? 

And this, I reason, is why I have remained largely unscathed (physically. Emotionally is another blog for another day) through my many life adventures. I try to reason out the best course before leaping. I count costs. Some call this boring. I call it smart. After all, while a night spent in the emergency room may be a neat story, a broken bone would sideline me from more adventures. I'd rather jump the puddle. 

Are you a puddle jumper?


4 comments:

  1. Your post caused me to reflect on a book I finished a few days ago; "Man's Search for Meaning," by Viktor Frankl. It is quite profound and beautiful. In it he says "to suffer unnecessarily is masochistic rather than heroic." Your words reminded me of his. I want to say a bunch, but I better not fill up your comment section with my wordiness. You are a great writer. Thanks for the inspiration! Made me think.

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    1. I read Frankl's book probably about 10 years ago and I still mentally reference it regularly. What a powerful read. Thank you for your kind words. I always hope what I write will make sense to a couple people. Have a great day Meg!

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  2. I am also a puddle jumper. Through the many adventures of life, I have never had a serious injury. From climbing 14ers across Colorado with my dad to hiking with mountain lions and now, to running, never an issue. We weigh the risks and figure out the best solution to minimize the impact.

    Great blog post! You are an incredible writer and have a way with words. Thanks for sharing, Justin!

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  3. "The best solution to minimize impact." Well said Liz. And thank you!

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