Five Minute Friday: Dive

It’s been far too long since I’ve done this and I miss it!

Jump into free writing with the rest of us who sign on over at Lisa-Jo’s place each Friday – set your timer and write without editing for five minutes on a single word prompt. Check out the rest of the entries by clicking on over to see who’s shown up for The Gypsy Mama’s party this week:

Five Minute Friday

So. . . the word this week is

DIVE

GO:

I remember standing on the edge of the pool, dripping wet,
ridiculous bathing cap pinching my head,
hands clasped in front of me, knees knocking.
“Come on in,” everyone shouted.
“Just put your hands together over your head,
lean over and let those hands lead the way.
Your body will just follow along.”
I tried. I really did try.
But I could not get over the fear of leaving the ground, head first.
My feet would not let go of the concrete. No way, no how.

So, I never did learn to dive. No, I never did.

And I’m sorry, in a way. And relieved, in another, very different way.
I’m sorry that physical risks are too much for me a lot of the time.
No swaying bridges, rock walls, high ledges, or even terribly crowded elevators.
Uh-uh, no way Jose. Not.Gonna.Happen.

But I have managed to find courage in other arenas from time to time in my life.
In fact, I do believe I have a bit of an adventure-seeking gene somewhere,
lurking about.
I stood on the deck of a freighter, all of 21 years old and newly married,
and I could not wait for that boat to move out of the harbor and travel across the sea.
I gathered my wits and my nerves,
which were scattered across about five years of wondering,
and walked into the admissions office of Fuller Seminary
(with about four of my closest friends, for moral support!)
and dropped my application in the slot.
I moved away from friends of twenty years, a community I loved
and which nurtured me for a long, long time
to take a job in a brand-new place with people I did not know.

All of those things were scary as heck.
And my feet left the ground, without a backward glance.
Now I’m diving into this writing life, scared sometimes, uncertain all the time,
but believing that the God who holds my hand also lifts my feet
and leads me right into the water.
STOP

Formatting and photos added after the 5 minutes of free writing.

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Comments

  1. Wow. Well done, we’ll said. You’ve done plenty of diving.

  2. Especially love your last paragraph – so true for all of us on this journey. Thanks for the reminder that He is big enough to lift our feet while holding our hands.

    Carol

  3. you do have the adventure gene in you:) writing is a wonderful one in itself..

  4. Courage takes many forms.

  5. God is already lifting those feet of yours Diana because you are no longer diving into writing. Nope, you are swimming in it, lady.

    • Aw, gee, thanks, Amy. I’m swimmin’ in somethin’ that’s for sure….not sure it’s real, live writing, but I keep chipping away at it.

  6. I agree with Amy that you have already made a successful dive into writing. Your topics are always meaningful, and you express yourself clearly, with insight and creativity. You say, “The God who holds my hand also lifts my feet.” That’s because of your honesty and humility (James 4:10), Diana, which are also evident in your writing. Thank you for the soul-searching and passion you invest in each post.

  7. Ah….. living water… the River of Life. = )

  8. Oh Diana, I love the idea of God lifting our feet as an extension of his guiding hand. Perfect! So glad you joined Five Minute Friday.