Taking the Leap

I took the leap.  I went ziplining in the Cloud Forest in Costa Rica.  I never would have done this alone, but it amazes me what I’ll do with an enthusiastic group. The scariest part was in the beginning.  You put on your gear: helmet, harness, gloves.  You wonder. Is everything on correctly? Will it be safe?  Then there’s the moment where you take your first leap into the air, out in the treetops, zipping from platform to platform, each progressively more daring. When I reached the final jump, there was no chickening out. I went head-first, arms outstretched, superman-style, into the clouds.  My fear turned to exhilaration as I experienced the closest sensation I can imagine to flying like a bird.

I worked with students from Pepperdine’s MSOD program who were on an intensive here to study complex change.  They met with local organizations addressing the education/training needs of Costa Rican youth, followed by a two day Appreciative Inquiry workshop. Like zip lining, working on complex problems requires a leap into the unknown.  There’s no planning, predicting or controlling.  We were managing many moving parts: language translation, emerging plans and even an intestinal outbreak that hit almost half the class over the 3 days.

In the midst of these changing conditions, its easy to become anxious, or fearful or just check out. When we can quiet that in ourselves, and instead stay open, curious and engaged, it’s possible to see something new emerge.  In our projects, we saw not only the squalor, but also the resilience and resourcefulness of children growing up in poverty. We saw hundreds of teenagers waiting in line for hours to get a chance at going to school. We learned about a government department that partners with volunteers, schools and businesses to provide disadvantaged youth a chance at an education and a good paying job.  We were inspired as we saw those who took the leap:  from indifference to caring, from isolation to connection, from domination to collaboration and from apathy to the courage to act.  

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