30 April 2007
In just a few weeks it will be ten years since I jumped off the cliff and started to work for myself. At the time lots of people I talked to about it said it was a dangerous thing to do. They loved me and they wanted to keep me safe. They said it was a long way down, and that I would drown, or fall onto the jagged rocks, or get eaten by the sharks. I was afraid.
But fortunately I was also young and self-important, so I jumped.
Only to find that actually, and there were no sharks... and the rocks were smaller than I'd feared. But there was an island. I swam there, and made base camp.
Since then life on the island has gotten much easier. Mike landed on the island soon after I did, and Chris washed up a few years later... and they both helped make the island a fun place to live. Since arriving we've explored some of the island, but there are huge mountains and great dark caves we've never visited... sometimes when I think about them I get scared (I'm much older now).
But then I remember that first jump, and I wonder if there are beautiful lost cities at the top of those mountains, or piles of treasure hidden in those caves... and how we will never know unless we are prepared to jump.
Isn't life exciting.
Note: Jumping off cliffs generally a pretty stupid idea... obviously... there really are rocks and sharks out there. But risk is a part of being alive. I jumped ten years ago, but Semantic only really began when Mike jumped too... and I don't mind saying that to survive we've had to jump a couple of times since. Sometimes, to get what we want, you need to jump. Just make sure you have a parachute, and I'll talk about that later in the week.
Posted by Nick Warren at 7:00 AM
