The Things You Have To Cross to Get to the Other Side
As a young child growing up in Coden, Alabama one of the many fun outings I remember were weekends at the beach. My dad used to take my 6 older sisters and I to a nearby beach called Dauphin Island. Dauphin Island was approximately 30 minutes from my home and although it was always fun, I still had some reservations about making the trip. You see, in order to reach that paradise, we had to cross a 3-mile bridge.
I have a deep fear of heights and bridges and the thought of crossing that bridge would cause me to have panic attacks and hide on the floor of the car as my dad drove. Inevitably, once we crossed the bridge and arrived on the island I was able to come off the floor, breathe normally and enjoy the beach time, only to go through the same experience on the way home.
What has you sitting on the floorboard afraid?
As an adult, I realize that we must face our fears in order to challenge us, keep us growing and elevate us to new levels. Like most of you, I have had my share of life’s challenges, failures and disappointments; deaths of both parents and other close family members, a marriage which ended in divorce after 22 years, etc., With each of life’s challenges, I have relied upon my faith to get me through. Life is constantly changing, sometimes things are good, sometimes not so good. But, I have learned it is our response to the changes and the grace in which we walk through the challenges which builds our faith and strengthens us.
One of my most recent challenges was a goal I set for myself last December. I turned 50 last year and planned a girlfriend trip to Los Cabos. It ended up just being my ride or die Candace after the others backed out. I remember hearing the long pause on the phone as I explained to Candace that I wanted to zip line while in Cabos. She needed some convincing…. a lot of it, but ultimately agreed.
Zip lining would help me face my fear of heights and give me further ammunition to not let fear stop me from anything life threw at me. The morning of our excursion I was extremely nervous not knowing what lie ahead. We were caravanned up a mountain to Wild Canyon Adventure and my nervousness turned to sheer terror. I immediately began to think, “what have I gotten myself into” as we careened higher and higher up the mountain.
Once we arrived we were met by the guides and I made a mental note that they all had working limbs. The zip line guides put us in our safety gear and shared with us what to do in case we got stuck. This was the first of many moments during that experience I began to look for our driver, a taxi, Uber…something! After that small scare which they shared with straight faces, they began to describe the courses.
I was not anticipating an eight-line course. The nice lady at the excursion desk back at our beautiful resort failed to tell us we needed to be in world class athletic shape. Couldn’t she look at us and tell Lucy and Ethel had NO business taking this excursion. I thought I would complete one zip line and be back at the resort for lunch enjoying the drink of the day.
The eight zip lines meant hiking up this huge mountain to get to the next level, sometimes crossing a narrow bridge, dangling some 300 feet above the canyon. The zip lines spanned 2, 673 in feet (that is almost 9 football fields). Yes, I said 9! I was petrified and ready to walk out, no refund necessary, but my girlfriend Candace encouraged me not to quit. You have to know Candace; she can be quite adamant when she puts her foot down. As much as I whined and tried to back out, she pushed me forward.
It. Was. Not. Easy.
There were times when I wanted to cry, scream, run down the mountain, and throw up, but not necessarily in that order. I also said several words that are not in the Bible. Pray for me. 🙂
The hiking, the increasing height, and the overall experience took ALL of my positive self-talk to get me through.
BUT WE MADE IT!
I crossed to the other side and with each level my confidence rose, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. I am grateful to have had a dear friend there to encourage me but also give me some tough, “don’t be a wimp” talk.
Am I completely over my fear of heights? Of course not. That wasn’t the goal.
The goal was to FACE MY FEAR and put in my arsenal some tools to help me with the next challenge. The lesson learned was to not let fear keep you in one place for your entire life. Oh, and to read the fine print. 😉
Healing & Blessings,
Cathey
