The Girl Cliff

A wise friend once told me about what she dubbed the "girl cliff." It's very true for most girls, at least from my experience. It goes something like this: A girl is walking along on her path, perfectly content to wander at her own speed, not really worrying about what's going on around her. Then one day she comes across a boy. She thinks he's nice and cute. And then he does some nice things--he smiles at her, he gives her a birthday present, he watches a movie with her. And then, before she knows it, she's stepped over the edge of a vast cliff and she's falling, and falling fast. For a while the sensation is nice--the adrenaline rush, and the wind blowing through her hair. But after a while the feeling is scary. She can't control herself. And the only way she can stop is when she hits the ground. And hitting the ground is painful.

This may seem simplistic, but it is scarily accurate. I know it has happened to me, many times. And at the risk of sounding cheesy, the only way the free-fall will end happily and pain free is when there is someone waiting at the bottom of that cliff, someone who will catch the girl and set her down safely.

I know I have been that girl. I have fallen off that cliff many times. Sometimes the fall was harder than others. Sometimes I've been able to break my own fall and minimize my injuries. Other times I have crashed, and crashed hard. And the worst time was when I thought I had been caught by that someone waiting at the bottom, just to have him throw me back over a bigger cliff and watch me hit the ground. I know that we all have to fall off the cliff. We have to fall a few times in order to know what is worth falling for. I know that I'm still waiting for the guy that I will happily throw myself over for, knowing that he is going to keep me from hitting the ground.

But I haven't found him yet. And it's scary to find yourself on the edge of that cliff when you're not sure if he's worth the plunge.

And I'm close enough that I can see the rocks at the bottom.