Jump! — Roaming with Roth

JUMP! I am not referring to the Van Halen song (performed by David Lee Roth, by the way) played at every Bar Mitzvah and Jewish Wedding. Nor am I referring to the Olympic "long" one or "high" one. No. I am relating to an incident I witnessed today on the beach. It was a comical interaction that made me laugh and quiver all at the same time. We came to the beach late in the afternoon to share the beauty of the sunset with locals and visitors alike. No surprise. Sunsets here are spectacular.

All sorts of activities can be witnessed from the comfort and vantage point of a beach chair: would-be surfers doing 'aerials' off of perfect "12-inch" waves; preening pre-teens seeking to impress the opposite sex; future 'football' (soccer) hopefuls kicking a ball and kicking up some sand; the dog lover, trained by his dog to endlessly throw a frisbee; and, the family reclining junder the shade of the Quanacaste trees listening Latin musical refrains. But, the scene that grabbed my attention, the interaction that fascinated me, held me in thrall, delighted and unnerved me was the mother who coaxed her daughter to allow her to take a picture while the daughter jumps in jubilation. You know that jump. Your hands jut upward extended skyward and feet spread wide apart. That jump that just looks goofy. Kind of a 'jump's' equivalent to Elaine's 'jerky' dance on Seinfeld. (If you don't know the episode, you can find it on YouTube 'Seinfeld - The Elaine Dance') Its like witnessing what you would rather not have seen in the first instance, but once observed has to be shared because the memory is too gross to keep to yourself.

The girl's mother positioned her for the best effect, in a shaft of light reflected in the water and on the beach. The mother steps back. Frames the shot through her lens. And, now begins the countdown. "One, two, three, JUMP!" The girl leaps in the air as the mother snaps the shutter (or whatever the digital equivalent of a shutter is). "Do it again". On signal the daughter jumps with that original enthusiasm. The mother shades her camera to check the digital result. Nope. She didn't get the shot. "Let's try again." And again. And again. The loving child jumps up and down with evident joy and a clear desire to please her mother. The mother once again checks the series of new exposures. "Again" she requests. The count. The jump. Snap. "Again". The count. Jump. Snap. The mother is not getting the shot. Well, its a still camera and the daughter is jumping. A kind of digital dissonance. But, what if???

She tells her daughter that because her legs are being cut off at the bottom of the photo, maybe she can jump and fold her legs up at the knees and shorten the image so that it fits. I can divine this conversation at a distance because the 'style' of jumping noticeably changes post-conference. The dutiful daughter begins to jump, cheerleader style, bending at her knees. This routine continues for a dozen or more attempts until the mother has a new brilliant idea. She tells her daughter to jump continuously. Don't jump and land and rest until I start the count. Just jump continuously. Up and down...up and down... "I will have to get a good shot amongst the slew of exposures." And so the daughter jumps up and down...and up and down...and up.... You get the picture!

Except, her mother is not...getting the picture, that is. Now, the mother...not the deferential daughter...is getting frustrated. The sun is setting and they may never have this chance again in the whole of their lives. Rather than give up, mom tells her daughter to stay put as she goes and hauls her son out from the ocean and hires him to jump with his younger sister, as if his participation will steady the photographers' hand. Now, the two of them are jumping like crazed, zombie scarecrows that have come alive at the setting sun.

Something unnerved me about this whole scenario. I didn't know what to make of the transaction that although humorous might have been telling. On the other hand, I realize that there is a difference between witnessing and the reality of what you are witness to. I have no doubt that they have a loving relationship. I hope so. In any case, as a testament to the young lady's forbearance, I went to YouTube and watched the original version of the Van Halen song. Listening to David Lee Roth perform, left me with little choice...I had to JUMP!