Embracing Fear
What’s a girl to do when her family decides to give rock climbing a try but she has a “healthy” fear of heights? In this case, she says “Ehh, no thanks.” Then I considered this - my fear of heights is actually conditional.
For example, I love roller coasters because I am strapped in securely. And I know I’m secure because with each ride, I tug, pull and “test” the seatbelts and safety bars of my seat - and my kids’ seats. I have a whole routine before each ride. My fear of heights is trumped by my love of thrill rides and FOMO with my kids.
Clearly, the person with the fear of heights is also having the most fun.
Another example - when I painted the exterior of my house. Sure, I hugged the ladder until I bruised one arm with a paint bucket dangling from the other. Slowly, I climbed to the second floor of my house while my heart raced and the ladder bounced. My fear of heights was beat by the fear of money leaving my hands to pay someone else to do something I was “perfectly” capable of doing.
House Painting in 2017
I had this guy operating this machine for the places I couldn’t reach with a ladder. I know - he was so little but I knew he wouldn’t dump me.
With this in mind, I reconsidered. I would join my family in this rock climbing day but not with any high expectations of myself. Maybe I would get off the ground, maybe not. Maybe I would just enjoy watching the others have fun.
We were lucky to have an experienced climber “show us the ropes.” As we gathered our equipment in the lobby, our cousin, Josh, introduced us to the manager. She welcomed us, and warned us that this sport is addictive. I eyed her suspiciously because I had a feeling she was right.
Josh patiently showed each of us how to set up our equipment and gave us tips on how to get started. He gave us tips on where to put our hands and feet. He promised he would not drop us.
My kids and husband flew up the wall. No fear! I took a little longer to get comfortable. On the first try, I was barely off the ground and wanted “lowered” back down. My fear of heights was kicking in but I didn’t want to miss out on what looked like a lot of fun. I took it slow. With each try, I became comfortable enough to go a little higher. That first time I sat back from the wall to let the “thing” catch me, was a leap of faith.
By the end of two hours, our arms and hands were shot. But we had a blast. It was fun to try something different, challenge ourselves and even be humbled a bit. And yes, I’ll definitely go back! Thanks, Josh! You inspired us to try something new!