Jump

So I walk up on high
And I step to the edge
To see my world below
And I laugh at myself
While the tears roll down
'cause it's the world I know

One of my most significant events of my childhood is the day I decided I wanted to jump off the high jump board at the Sea Point swimming pool. That day encapsulated a lot about my life and who I am.

Firstly, I was absolutely terrified of jumping and sat on the edge, going backwards and forwards forever. I was terrified of doing the difficult or scary things. I still am. It took me a whole year to pluck up the courage to quit my job and get "out there".

Secondly, my mother stayed with me the entire time, waiting patiently and shouting the odd encouragement. Not getting annoyed because I was taking so long or pushing me when I wasn't ready, but ready with all the right words when I needed them. That's my mom - always there, ready with a quiet encouragement or just a supportive and non-judgemental presence.

Finally, and most importantly, after all the hesitating, the to-ing and fro-ing, I eventually jumped. And it felt great.

This weekend I finally decided on a topic for my photo story. I wanted to do a sequence of photos that meant something to me and that's where I had been getting stuck. I could think of plenty of ideas and story lines, but nothing that was significant to me. I didn't care if the story meant nothing to everyone else, so long as it was something that was important to me. At about 2:00 on Sunday morning, the idea of the high jump finally came to me. And how the pieces then fitted together was spooky...

I woke up to a beautiful sunny day on Sunday - perfect for pool shots. I roped my mother in again to come and help (and provide her legendary supportive presence).

And what did I find at the deserted pools? A little boy and his friend plucking up the courage to jump off the boards... They went backwards and forwards. Up and down. They hesitated and second-guessed themselves. But eventually - they jumped.
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