Well we're at the unofficial halfway point of summer, and I thought it would be time for a checkup to make sure the Ola family is having fun.

Visit to Kennywood: check. Swimming and tubing: check. Mini vacation to visit friends and family: check. Camping, fishing and bonfires: check.

Whew. That's a lot of stuff to jam into exactly 87 days of summertime break for the kids (not that we're counting, or anything). And we're only halfway there.

With so much more to do and see in the remaining six weeks, how can anyone stay inspired to entertain, enthused and excited, for three straight months?

A diving board, that's how.

My inspiration happened last week at our local pool when a kid dove into the swimming pool. It was his first dive off the board. I could tell because it took him exactly 43 minutes to make the one yard drop into the cool water and exactly 17 trips from the back of the board to the tip of the board.

The incident started out as something comical, with him puffing up his chest and boldly going where countless others had gone before him, including my 5-year-old daughter and a man in his 70s.

Our diver, Greg, was probably 8 or 9 and full of enthusiasm.

Greg had some older buddies who made the dive and were eagerly waiting for him to take the plunge. His enthusiasm quickly waned, and it became apparent to each person at the pool that the battle that was occurring was more than Greg making a simple dive into the water. This was about Greg taking the plunge.

With successive trips toward the water, Greg inched closer to his eventual fate, and to his friends' credit, they never chastised him or made fun of him. Instead, they gave him suggestions like "don't look down" and "just run straight ahead until you don't have anything under you but air."

The best advice came from a kid Greg didn't know, however.

"Just take a leap of faith, man. The worst thing that can happen is you get wet and look stupid."

That advice resonated with Greg, who walked calmly to the end of the board (never looking down, or back, for that matter) and then jumped into the water.

Sometimes logic doesn't work, but simple advice from a stranger hits home harder than a Brian Minto punch in the gut.

Just take a leap of faith, whether it's taking a dive off of a diving board, riding a bike, changing jobs or trying anything different or outside of our comfort zone.

It's different for kids, though, right? Truth be told, it really is that simple, but we like to make excuses for why it's easier to not take that leap of faith. Sometimes, we look for signs from above — divine inspiration, if you will.

No. I like to think that we use the lack of a sign from above as an excuse for not taking the leap. What we should be focusing on, as Greg proved, is the leap itself. What is the worst thing that can happen? A little embarrassment never hurt anyone.

But the thrill of doing something different surely is worth the possible negative ramifications of your actions. Focus on the leap, not the faith. We've all been blessed with the gift of faith, whether we choose to use it or not.

When we focus on the leap, however, it becomes personal and reflects our abilities (or lack thereof) and our fears. Overcoming those fears is something we call "living." Living to take the plunge into a committed relationship, a new career, a new direction is what life is about.

Live today and celebrate your freedom to live. That's what today is about.

Christian Ola, a community columnist for the Butler Eagle, resides in Mars with his wife, son and daughter and can be reached at christianolac@aol.com and through his Web site, www.christianola.com.