Challenges are an essential part of life. They appear in some of the most unsuspecting moments and you can chose whether or not to partake on them. There are times when challenges an bring an a fantastic experience, and others where they step well out of your comfort zone and into the point where it's irrational to participate.
My challenge last Thursday would be classed at the middle of the mentioned two. I've had acrophobia (fear of heights) for as long as I can remember, and it acted as a barrier to many experiences I might've enjoyed. This height-challenging activity was a part of a Ropes Course I was at for a majority of the day.
The activity consisted of a large light pole connected in the air by a rickety bridge as well as zip-lining your way back to the comforting ground. The fact that I'm uncomfortable with heights made the area appear to be a death contraption in my perspective.
As my dreaded turn crept up closer and closer, I wanted so badly to give in to my fear and not attempt it. However, once the scarlet helmet was placed onto my head, it was much too late. The climb up wasn't terrifying, or so I thought. When I was at the top the rope ended up getting tangled and in the process of adjusting it, I looked down. Silhouettes of people being the only visible thing was beyond frightening, but I trudged on.
The sound of my classmates cheering me as I went across the bridge went beyond encouraging and gave me the will to go on. Once the instructor was done setting me up for the zip-lining, he was waiting for me to get off the platform and zoom through the air. I took one look down at my blissful classmates and took the leap.
The rush of the air as you're flung across the nearly endless rope is something I couldn't even begin comparing to. The acrophobia was still there no doubt, making the first few seconds feel like a death waiting to happen, but as it went on, the fear disappeared and my screams burgeoned.
That one moment where I stepped outside my comfort zone allowed me to realize I love the thrill of being in the air. The point of the article being, sometimes you have to look at a challenge straight in the eye and take it on, because you may never know the end result.
And for those of you who are curious, these are two pictures of what the Ropes Course looks like (none show the one I described earlier):
Hope you all have a safe and exciting summer break!
