Dip the Toe or Take the Plunge?

These impatiens love the shade in the raised bed by our back door.

         This last week the neighborhood pool opened, to much delight.  I took my daughter on Wednesday, and in Kansas, the outdoor pools can be pretty chilly since we don’t have a lot of hot weather yet to heat the water up.

           When we arrived, sure enough, the water was very cold.  But I did something that I began doing two years ago. I jumped into the deep end all at once, feet first (I’m not much of a diver) and felt the shock of the sudden, icy snap. Yeeeooooww!  But, you know, once I get over the surprise to my system, I’ve saved the time I used to waste dipping my toe in a bit at a time -- and I’m ready to swim!  It’s kind of like slowly peeling a bandaid off, or ripping it off in one, swift move. Which one is better?
            I’ve decided I like taking the plunge!  And, in a way, I think that’s sort of a metaphor for how we can approach life.  Do we timidly, slowly, agonizingly dip our toes into the challenges that come before us, or do we plunge right in, full-bodied, ready to take a risk?  I have to think of times in my life when I’ve decided to jump in all at once, despite any possible shocks to the system.  Now, I’m not condoning impulsive behavior that might end up with dangerous or disastrous consequences.  Instead, I’m talking about being willing to jump in to something new and initially uncomfortable in order to reap the benefits that come with taking risks.
            I can think of one risk I took that led me to the wonderful man I married. When I started graduate school in a new university town, I was wanting to explore a different type of faith tradition, one that was more contemplative than my own.  So one morning I walked hesitantly into the back of a Catholic sanctuary and sat in the last pew where I could observe.  I remember thinking that I was crazy to expect that I could ever find a home there, but I did! What was comical was that within the next several weeks, I was up front singing with the folk choir, trying to do the sign of the cross and all of those Catholic motions and I didn’t know what I was doing!  Anyway, I met a wonderful friend there whose boyfriend her freshman year had roomed with the man I was to meet and marry.  It wasn’t until a few years later that she introduced us at her graduation party, but later I realized that it was that decision to darken those church doors that led me to meet him.  Now, granted, meeting a guy was not the focus of my desire to pursue the Catholic Church (which I did not join, but one I appreciated while I was there), but I have recognized that if I hadn’t have taken the plunge, the wonderful friends I made there and ultimately meeting my mate would not have happened!
         Are you a toe-dipper or a plunge-taker?  It’s something to consider.


For life is what you make it.  So make it good!