We heard 3 loud splashes and turned around to look at the water. In the water (no longer on the 2nd level) were the 3 guys. Immediately, the ‘captain’ calls for the guys to get back onto the boat. I begin to laugh hysterically, “You can’t tell me on a boat with rum punch, this never happens!” It was hilarious. And since the boat had a glass bottom, it wasn’t long before our tropical fish expedition was interrupted by one of the three swimming under the glass. The ‘captain’ gave up. In his jamaican wannabe accent, “You weren’t supposed to go swimming here, we were going to stop. But what the heck, we have snorkels if you guys want to use them.”
We spent some time snorkeling and looking at the ocean bottom trying to spot tropical fish. It was definitely fun, but jumping off the 2nd level of the boat looked exhilarating. So, we climbed up the stairs and stood at the top realizing the distance to the water was significant. They began chanting and counting down. “3, 2,…” I jumped. I didn’t want to wait until “1″. Erin followed. We looked at each other and watched the other three land near us. “Let’s do it again!!”
We said over and over again, “When are we going to do this again? We’re in the Bahamas!”
Jumping off the boat was crazy. It was incredibly fun. And yet, I’m not sure what the Bahamas really had to do with it. I mean, when am I going to do life exactly like this again? Each day, every moment, Bahamas or Minnesota — is a chance I have to live. To have fun, create memories, and experience freedom in similar ways, as I did jumping from the boat.
I like to think life was made for us to experience it in so many fun & exciting ways. Jumping off a boat in the Bahamas, marshmallow fights in your apartment, or chinese fire drills in the middle of an intersection are all great ways to make you laugh so hard you cry. And those are by far among my most favorite stories to tell over and over — for those who share those memories with me, thank you for making me have to change my clothes!
