Kaboom!!

To me, the Guyanese ladies are some of the most fun-loving people I have ever been privileged to know. They are so unsophisticated and simple. (Just like me!) We had a lot of fun “gaffing”, telling funny stories about ourselves, singing, etc. Though most of them don’t know how to swim, some were eager to learn. We went to the “bush pool” and between using life jackets and lots of encouragement, at least 3 of them learned to float and do the doggy paddle. However, there is a clumsy side of me that almost always shows itself. First of all, to get to the bush pool, you have to walk on a narrow bridge made of a thick beam. Every time I got to the other end, I lost my balance. Thankfully, I always caught myself and didn’t fall in; just got my feet and legs muddy, plus looked rather foolish. Speaking of foolish, I did a foolish thing and succumbed to peer pressure, something I rarely ever do! There was a rope swing with a seat that goes really high if you get on it from a 5 feet high platform. I kept saying no because I didn't want to hurt my back. Well, finally, I decided to try it. Up until the moment I jumped, I questioned my sanity because I could tell it goes very fast and if you don't get your legs up and over the seat, "Kaboom!!" Reluctantly I grabbed the rope, hung on for dear life and "Kaboom" my knees hit the sand because I didn't lift my feet in time. The ladies were really upset that I got hurt. I thought they were going to cry. So, I tried to minimize the pain I was in, but it really stung. It is especially painful to go up and down stairs and get in the car. One knee is very swollen. Thankfully, I was wearing jeans so I didn't scrape the knees, just bruised them. Maybe I will learn the lesson "When in doubt, don't". On Sunday at church when Pastor Michael was sharing about the trip, he said, “Sister Terri was swinging from tree to tree.” Well, no one can say that I didn’t try, right??