Laguna: the crunch ( part 2 )

Hello Readers,

"You should do what's best for you, Mickey," my cousin admonished. "You don't have to follow every step I take." However being a visual and kinesthetic learner, I still followed her every move.  Trailing behind her was intimidating.  She moved like Yoda, with hands on her back, almost skipping stone by stone OR magically finding the right root or crevice to step/hold on to."

She continued sharing her climbing knowledge: "Get your nails dirty... move sideways never crossing your legs into a tangle... make sure you grip firmly onto a secure bastion before moving forward... don't just rely on your legs, use your arms, your whole body.  I took everything in one step at a time like a AA participant taking one day at a time; I saw the forest one tree, one dirt step, one rocky nook at a time.

Then we reached a spot where we saw the other waterfall next to a cave.  This was referred to as the "Grotto" because a statue of the Virgin Mary was placed inside, where bats lived ( hence holy shit ).  In the shade, the water below remained clear and cerulean, disturbed only by undulating rings of the falls.

There was no way but down ( unless one would back track alone ).  My cousin's words shortly rang in my head: How adventurous are you Mickey? She wasn't kidding when she mentioned the jumping part.  Our leader jumped the 2-story high cliff, and he survived the 1-story deep watery landing.  We tossed our flip flops and other supplies to him.  Then my cousin jumped.  Waiting I wasn't nervous or shaking like the 2 young women behind me.  Then my turn came.

It’s true; it’s a mind over matter situation.  The more one thought about it the more one psyched one’s self.  I didn’t do any fancy dive, and my life didn’t flash before me; nothing was in slow motion, however I did notice a dry yellow leaf tumbling down the rock in real time.  I briefly thought about my cubicle-existence 3 months ago and thanked the Lord for this moment then I jumped.  I didn't know if I closed my eyes or maybe I landed in the water sooner than expected.

Once everybody was on the safe rocky surface, our leader tore open a bag of crunchy baked green peas ( like corn bits ) and passed it around.  I grabbed a handful and devoured them.