Just Jump

photo taken by my brother of me jumping on Mojacar Playa on xmas eve 2009. post production by me.

“Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to 'jump at the sun.' We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.” ~Zora Neale Hurston~

It's the last day of 2009 and I can't help but look back over the past year and marvel at all the changes I've weathered and all the adventures I've enjoyed. It's been a big year for reversals, upheavals and goodbyes. I suppose my strategy has been to meditate more so I remain calm while jumping into my new life. When my relationship of 5 1/2 years ended, I jumped into being single and taking care of myself despite my stinging eyes. When my circle of friends dissolved and scattered back to their countries, I jumped into new circles and had new adventures. When my landlord unexpectedly moved back and booted me out of my room this summer, I jumped and jumped and kept on jumping at every potential piso in the barrio until I finally found what I was looking for. When I lost 5 teaching hours earlier this month I jumped right into action and managed to recoup some hours from other sources by the next day. This year I've also tried to jump at every opportunity to travel and see as many places as I could and so in 2009 I've been to Paris, Donostia-San Sebastian, Bilbao, Atazar, Chinchón, "Hoces del Río Duratón" Nature Reserve, Sepúlveda, Pedraza, Sierra de Madrid, Quintanar de la Sierra, the Pyrenees, Mojacar, Vera playa and Garrucha, and I saw my first bullfight.

As I stand on the cusp of a new decade I plan to do a lot more jumping. Jumping into action. Jumping into my creative projects. Jumping for joy. Jumping at opportunities. Jumping at the blue moon. Jumping into 2010.

I'm going to end my blog posts for 2009 with these last words from Mel Brooks:

“Look, I really don't want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you're alive, you got to flap your arms and legs, you got to jump around a lot, you got to make a lot of noise, because life is the very opposite of death. And therefore, as I see it, if you're quiet, you're not living. You've got to be noisy, or at least your thoughts should be noisy and colorful and lively.”

Happy New Year everyone!! xox