Facing My Fears Head-On
I haven’t always been afraid of heights. When I was younger, I had no issues with it—probably because we’re all a little more fearless before our sense of mortality sinks in. As I’ve gotten older had kids who depend on me, I’ve become more fearful of scary things.
Enter zip-lining. While we were on vacation in Cancun, we all took a trip to Garrafon Natural Reef Park. It’s a water park, but not the typical one you’d find in the U.S. with wave pools and water slides. Here you can swim with dolphins, go kayaking, snorkeling and, of course, zip-lining.
Our whole, big group got in line for the zip-lining, where you get to cruise 100 feet above the ocean. On a tiny piece of wire. While strapped into a harness. To say I wasn’t excited is an understatement. But if everyone else was going, I was too.
When it was our turn, we found out that Molly wasn’t tall enough or old enough to ride. Crisis averted for me, and I took her back to the ocean to swim. I was elated.
But later, Charlie wanted to take another turn and I agreed to go with him. We had seen other young kids ride during the day, so we brought Molly with us to see if we could persuade the workers to allow her a trip too.
As you can see from my photos, I made it through unscathed. But I was terrified the hole time. Of course Molly loved it!
When I was younger, I never had a problem with fear. I was able to ride rollercoasters and look over the edge of a 7th floor balcony. And I would have been able to zip-line without a care in the world. Now, I avoid rollercoasters if at all possible and I don’t even like going in the ocean—the waves are scary. So I use every excuse in the book to not get in, like my eyes will burn in the salt water.
Of course, I’ve learned over the years that it’s okay to be afraid. And it’s okay to face my fears and “just do it.” It sets a good example for my kids and allows me to grow as a person. Because if you want to grow, you have to be okay with being uncomfortable.
I love watching my kids experience things without fear. They’re comfortable in their own skin and feel that resilience that I did when I was younger. Sometimes, I’ll join them and put away my fears. Other times, I think it’s an issue with control and the feeling that I can’t control what is happening when I’m afraid.
Most of the time though, I want to have the experience. So it’s worth going through the stress and worry. Most of the time!
