“We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them by action. Fear is natures way of warning us to get busy.” ~ D. Henry Link
I’m not going to lie…I am afraid of many things. Or I guess I should say…I don’t like many things…like snakes and spiders. I will squeal and run away from a spider, or (as happened earlier this year) remain hostage in my house rather than face a big scary spider. Snakes…are just disgusting. Like…they make me gag. I recall a time when my dad put a snake skin under the windshield wiper of my car…I vomited in the driveway. Yup…I did that.
But fear…pure terror…that would have to be heights (acrophobia)…hands down. I recall a time as a child that I made it to the top of a tall jungle gym at the playground, only to refuse to come back down. One of the neighbor kids had to go to my house and get my mother. Heck…I used to cry when my dad would leave me sit up high on the seesaw. I never climbed trees (at least not very far off the ground). I jumped off a cliff at a lake once as a young adult…and I cried the whole entire time. (It wasn’t that high.)
The Betlyon’s went on an adventure over the weekend…we went to our land in the middle of the Missouri Ozarks. On our way home we stopped at Flat Rock Fire Tower. From the ground, and in the spirit of spontaneity, I agreed it would be a fabulous idea to climb to the top to get a better of view of the colors of Autumn. We started up the first flight of stairs and I was excited…but a little nervous. The second flight…it hit me. This tower stood TEN stories. That is roughly 150′ in the air. NOPE!! NOPE!! NOPE!!! I was done. There was no way. Sam encouraged me to continue. Reluctantly…I went up another two flights before I stopped. I was shaking. I was crying. I was terrified to go any further. Looking up made me dizzy. Looking down was worse! Did I mention that the higher we got the more narrow the path became? BUT…Sam encouraged me each and every step of the way. With each encouraging word…I took another step. Before I knew it, we were at the top.
I wish I could say that I reached the top and all of my fears melted away and I was able to snap photos of the gorgeous view…I tried to get my phone out of my pocket, but my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. BUT, take my word for it…the view was breathtaking (and not just because I was hyperventilating)!
The trek down was shaky…but not nearly as terrifying as the climb. But boy was I happy to have my feet on solid ground. I’m pretty sure I continued to shake for the next half hour…but I was high on adrenaline that’s for sure! I can’t say that it cured my fear of heights…but I can say that I don’t regret pushing myself to face my fear! I couldn’t have done it without the love, patience and encouragement from Sam.
What are YOU afraid of ? How do you face and conquer YOUR fears? I would love for you to share your tips with me in the comments!!
Betting on the Betlyons 