Honors English 2

Michael Black 9/7/10

Personal Essay

“Jumping Away from Fear”

“Slurp, Slurp, Slurp!” My dogs licked my face as they woke me. I looked at the clock…

it was eleven o’clock already! My family was leaving in thirty minutes to go to Godfrey Bridge.

We went there all the time when I was little. It seems like a tradition for us, my grandma even

went there when she was a kid. Everyone except me always jumps off the bridge into the water.

Today was going to be different though. Today I was going to jump! I rushed to get ready and

sprinted to the car, we were on our way.

I don’t know the exact location of Godfrey Bridge, but I know its somewhere in Mullica.

To get to the bridge you have to go down this dirt road that’s like three miles long. Once we got

there I was ready to jump off the bridge. I ran to the rail, climbed over it, and then climbed back.

I was too scared.

“Chicken!” My cousin Sammie mocked.

“Bwuck, Bwuck, BWACK!” My other cousin, Bridget added.

My snappy comeback was, “I didn’t even go in the water yet… I want to get used to it

first. How about we go on the rope first?”

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“Okay! But you still have to jump off the bridge!” They all leapt off the bridge quickly as

I stayed on the sidelines and walked down to the water. We started to swim towards the tree

where the rope is. In order to redeem myself, I decided to go first. Climbing up the tree, I

jumped to the rope and swung. Swaying on the rope acting like Tarzan, I let go and splashed

into the water.

“If you are able to do that, why are you afraid of jumping off the bridge?” Bridget

questioned. Honestly, I didn’t know why I was afraid. Everyone that jumped off looked like

they were having fun. Maybe I was afraid of heights. The bridge was twenty feet above the

water. But I’ve climbed on ladders and have been on roofs before with no problem. In

elementary school I have hopped of the diving board plenty of times. Finally I realized my

problem. I hated being put on the spot. When I’m at the edge of the bridge, everyone is looking

at me. They have their cameras ready to take pictures. While swinging on the rope, however,

nobody really pays attention. I’ve found out what my fear was, so now I had to face it.

“Okay okay, I’ll jump.” I swam bravely towards the bridge.

“Yea I’m sure you will.” Sammie stated sarcastically.

“I’ll do it!” I exclaimed, climbing up onto the bridge.

“Okay… chicken.” Bridget said.

“Want to bet on it?” I asked. I would do anything to win a bet.

“Five dollars you won’t do it!” Bridget and Sammie synchronized.

“Deal!” I yelled. I ran to the rail, climbed over it, and then climbed back.
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“Looks like you owe us ten dollars!” Bridget barked. I took a few steps back.

“Do I?” I questioned. I ran towards the rail and sprung over it, skipping over the plank

and dove straight down into the water. “Splash!” The water spurted. I did it. I jumped off

Godfrey Bridge. I faced my fear and made a bit of pocket change, managing to have a lot of fun

in the process. I continued to go off the bridge over and over again until it was time to go.