This year on February 29th, I wrote a little note to myself:

is there leap year lore? does today mean good luck? is it a portal to fall through?

And hadn’t really thought about it since until last night when I was thinking about leaps. Or rather, reciting something that’s become sort of a mantra to me:

Leap, and the net will appear.

I like that quote, and I think about it often, especially when I think about bravery, or how to take a big step (leap). And I imagine it to be grand—sort of like a trapeze artist flinging her body through the air. In reality, it’s less grand. It’s writing tuition checks and giving notice and creating a budget. It’s being honest with your partner about what you want to do next, and how you need her/his help. Then there’s the most important thing: being honest with yourself about what you want to do next, and then committing to doing it. Because here’s what I know, after just beginning this new journey: You are your net.

The expression “Look before you leap”, as self-limiting as it may first appear, is actually quite wise. It’s best to take a good long look and secure your net. Repair any holes that might have formed. Don’t go bounding off a cliff without doing a little homework about what’s below. Even with a bouncy landing spot, the leap is still scary, because those seconds/minutes/hours of free-fall always are. Leaping isn’t about giving up control to whatever might happen—though there is an element of that in every action we take. Leaping is about bravery and preparedness. It’s also about trust and it’s about faith.

It’s about knowing the leap is only the beginning, and the net is strong—strong because you are, and strong enough to hold you.

. . .

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