Call Your Bluff

Have you ever jumped off a bluff into a river? Or off of a pier into the ocean below? The split second before you jump you inhale and hold your breath all the way down until you feel the water crashing around you. Then you scramble to the top of the water and gulp in a huge breath…panting with the excitement of the adrenalin rush! It's an awesome feeling! But before the jump, standing there looking down at the water, you feel nervous tension building. Fear tells you it's a long way down and you come face-to-face with the possibility of getting injured. You know you could hit a rock in the water. You know you could have a bad landing and break a bone. Anything could happen. Yet, you're drawn to the challenge, knowing victory lies with the one who jumps.



Aren't relationships the same? Don't we stand at the threshold of the unknown and jump, hoping the other person will be there to catch us? Aren't friendships the same? Don't we come to a point where we must decide whether to stand on the bluff and look down at a person's life, or jump in and tread water with them? How easy it is to stand on the pier…how comfortable it must feel when you don't have to be the one to face the fear of drowning or injury.


Jimmy Buffet sings a line I love: "I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead." In regards to relationships with other people, whether they are friends or lovers, do you really want to be on the sidelines? Do you really want to be a dead entity in someone's world when you could be sharing life with them? Why sit on the bluff alone? Don't let fear hold you back. It's time to "Call your Bluff." Inhale and jump. The water feels good.