I sit down, get my snorkeling gear on, and prepare to jump into the shark-infested waters. My snorkeling partner, Marissa, and I step onto the boat, along with my instructor for the week.
“Hello, eighth graders, and welcome to Key Largo, Florida. I’m Karl, and I will be your instructor. We will be exploring marine animals and their habitats.”

We take off for our first snorkeling adventure into the marshlands where crabs, lobsters, and starfish swim.

“Alright, class, we have arrived to our first destination...the swampland,” said Karl.
I glance at my partner, while the rest of my classmates leap into the salty, mucky water. But my fear takes over.

Marissa yells, “Jordan! The water’s unreal, come in! You can do it!”

That’s what I came here to do. The voice inside my head pushes me to jump. You came all the way to Florida. Believe. Achieve. Do it.

Then, I jump. Overcoming the fear of the ocean, my head plunges in the water. Starfish stick to my hands like that last bit of honey in the bottom of the jar. Sea turtles sail under the water while coral drifts through the currents. Stingrays soar through the water as the octopi slither across the ocean floor. Marine life connects to me. I feel linked to the Earth.

That day in Florida, I leaped. If life were meant to be lived ordinary, opportunities would be wasted. But that moment defined my character and my willingness to push out of the comfortable and plunge into life. My academic performance is the same--although every so often the water is murky and I’m uncertain, in the end, I leap.