“I think I was in my swimsuit the whole day!” says my son Edward just now at 9:30 p.m. We were just discussing how he used to be afraid of the water and he acted like he didn’t remember those days. As his mother, they are clear memories for me, but they are quickly being replaced by pleasant memories of Edward flinging himself in the lake many times a day. Today he trumped it all and jumped off a tree stump 10 feet off the water, into the lake.
Edward (right) and his cousin Marcus jumping into the lake
But, let me regress… Back when I was a kid, coming up to the lake cabin every weekend with my parents and sisters, we also learned to love being in the water. One year, a neighbor shinnied up one of the giant cottonwood trees hanging over the water and tied a big rope around one of the branches. Then he proceeded to teach us how to stand on the top railing of our deck, grab the rope over a knot and swing out over the lake and let go. Oh, what fun we had after that! My sister Steph and I got to the point of having to wear gloves while we went off the rope because our hands got so sore. This rope jumping lasted over 10 years. All visitors to the lake were encouraged to either partake of the joy of jumping 12 feet off our deck railing or view those willing to demonstrate the skill. Sadly, the poor cottonwood wore out from all this use! A few years ago my dad had to cut it down in the winter, leaving a tall stump next to the deck, forever reminding us of the lost days of rope jumping.
Fast forward last summer. My fearless nephew Marcus (age eight) set the precidance of jumping off the stump into the water. The Hales watched in awe, but were all unwilling to try.
Now here we are, at the lake with the Rouxs (my sister and her hubby and kids) having a great time. We had a perfect day at the lake. Suddenly, my son says, “Mom, will you give me six Starbursts if I jump off the stump?” “YES! Of Course!” So, I am shocked when he does it! And then he does it again and again and I am reminded of when I was a kid and how much I loved jumping off the rope. Now one of my kids is enjoying the lake in crazy ways, as we used to do off the rope. I am content.
Edward flying off the stump