One step off the platform and I was zipping at 35 mph over a lake and turning my knuckles white. One step off the platform and I was flying through the air doing flips over a bar.
This summer, I conquered my fears the hard way, by facing them head on. Not only did work take over my off-season, but so did becoming a fitter, better me. Every morning at 5:30am, I was out running on the boardwalk and lifting weights at the gym. After getting into much better shape, I decided to treat myself to an adventure or two. I chose zip lining and trapeze school. Both sound insane, and they were, but both totally worth it.
My first insane experience was zip lining in North Jersey. My family and I packed up the car before the sun rose and made our trek to the trail. Never in my life did I think I would clip into a little harness and just jump off a platform for fun. I was glad I did though, because the scenery was beautiful and the feeling of wind through your hair wasn’t the same feeling when you stick your head out the car window.
The freedom, as cliché as it may sound, really did change my outlook on life. Who cares if I only have 700 Twitter followers? Who cares if I got shut down when I asked a guy out? The trees, the water, the nature have so much more to offer then any follower or dinner date. It offers self-understanding, strength, courage, most importantly, confidence. (Check out the trip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7IULXWKhcY)
Finally, I was crazy enough to climb 45 feet into the air with nothing but two clips on my side and learn how to trapeze like they do in the circus. In Atlantic City, NJ, the wind was strong but my need to prove something to myself was even stronger. I slowly, and by slowly, I mean snail pace, climbed the shaky ladder to the floating platform.
The whole “idea” behind trapezing is that you have to trust every person, from the person who is holding your belt as you lean out for the bar to the person who is catching you mid air. Not going to lie, that was the hardest part, along with actually jumping off the platform. I never knew it would be so hard to trust strangers but it was but after a couple failed attempts, I was finally able to trust and do the trick.
Trapezing taught me trust is key in anything you do and so is inner strength. If I didn’t have the confidence to jump, I would have never gotten down nor successfully done the trick. (Check out this adventure here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8zxf3GxYq4)
This summer was a summer of change; I learned I had to be confident to complete anything in life and to not be afraid of everything. The scarcest of things turn out to be the best of things.