For as long as I can remember, I’ve been afraid of heights.
We’re talking BIG AFRAID. This was a stand-in-the-back-of-the-elevator-at-the-Space-Needle, say-no-to-a-very-popular-gondola-ride-in-the-mountains-near-Palm-Springs, hang-back-on-the-glass-observation-deck-in-a-Norwegian-Fjord, skip-a-sunrise-hot-air-balloon-ride-outside-of-Marrakech-in-Morocco kind of AFRAID.
(Side note: The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is the largest rotating aerial tramway in the world. It was opened in September 1963 as a way of getting from the floor of the Coachella Valley to near the top of San Jacinto Peak and was constructed in rugged Chino Canyon. I’ve heard it’s amazing. ☹)
So, last Summer, when I received an invitation to a friend’s birthday celebration that included an option to join them for some ZIPLINING, my immediate thoughts were, “Nopety nope, no way, not happening.”
But here’s the thing: you might remember that I pick a word each year instead of setting New Year’s resolutions. 2022’s word was “limitless.”
With that in mind, I said yes to the invitation AND “YES” to the Ziplining portion that also happened to include a ropes’ course (!!). The friend was aware of my fear and called to double-check my response. With trepidation, I confirmed my response while truly not knowing how it was going to go.
The day of the party and activities arrived, and I showed up at the appointed time. Still not sure if I would talk myself out of it at the last minute, I participated in the safety briefing and dutifully checked the harness they had for me. All those connections MUST be solid — no fraying for me please!
Then, it was time. And you know what? I DID IT! I went on a ropes course 60 feet (!!) in the air, and I went ZIPLINING!!! It was so much fun, our group actually went through the course twice.
High Trek Adventures features a three-level ropes course, starting at about 15 feet off the ground and going as high as 60 feet off the ground. Participants face increasing levels of difficult elements, such as swinging platforms that you step along (lowest level, they’re connected to one another via a cord; highest level, they are not connected) and vertical spider webs of thick rope that you climb and scale across like a, well, spider.
The web had two different levels. On one level, you could walk along a wire and use the ropes of the web to steady yourself. On the more challenging level, there was no wire and you had to climb into and on the web as it wiggles to and fro with any movement. Granted, you are always strapped into your harness and latched to guide wires BUT STILL, it is a challenge to climb along a wiggling spider web 60 feet in the air!
I’m proud (and a little shocked) to say that I chose the more challenging level, and I loved it! What freedom! I’m so excited to have *decided* that I was done with the fear! I faced it, trusted that it would be ok, and took a chance. Granted, I suspected there was a rather large possibility I would turn in to a hysterical, blubbering mess once up there. But here’s the thing: I would have preferred that over not trying. As it turns out, I LOVED every minute of it and went back for more!!!
Although we think we know how something will go, we really don’t know until we take a leap and find out. Borrowing from Keith Urban in Wild Hearts: “I’m here to tell you anything can happen in this life if you got that heart and the passion, and a God-lit fire inside.”
What have you done recently that was outside your comfort zone?