Leaping lizards. Leaps and bounds. Leaps of faith. Leap frogs.

Life offers hurdles and hurdles of leaps. There’s the literal leap you take when you’re 6-years-old and realize jumping into the puddle of mud is fun. There’s the leap you take when you get your first job – you’re not too sure what to expect or if you’re up to the challenge, but you take the leap anyway. There’s the leap you take when you move across the country in search of your dream job, dream love or even your dream house. There’s the leap you take when, on a whim, you tell that guy how you feel, because you know if you don’t do it now, you’ll lose your cool.

And then there are leaps that somehow just find themselves in your lap. It isn’t important how it got there. It’s a free gift waiting to be opened by you. People the world over are celebrating an extra day today so special that it only graces us with its presence once every four years.
I’ve been thinking about leaps a lot lately. When does a leap become a foolish plunge? And can we ever really know the difference between the two, or are we destined to repeat our mistakes over and over until we get it right? Isn’t life really just one giant leap after another? A chance taken. A question asked. A moment lived. A tear shed. A laugh chuckled. A risk, well, risked?

It takes a certain type of person to take the plunge. Because let’s face it: Leaping off the edge is a scary proposition. Will there be a safety net down below to catch us? It’d be so easy to back away from the fire down below, but the risk there? You’ll never feel the warm flame. And worse yet, you’ll be forever wondering, “What if?” What if I’d taken the chance and put myself out there? What if I’d actually, shock, lived a little? What will you be doing, friends?

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[Photos via We Heart It]