Seriously Out of My Comfort Zone!

Have you ever gotten out of your comfort zone? I mean REALLY out of your comfort zone? That’s what I did on Friday! I went Over the Edge for Lighthouse Ministries. When I was first approached about it I thought, oh, yeah, absolutely! I’m not afraid of heights, I’ve zip lined before and I’ve para-sailed before so I really thought this was going to be no big deal. Yeah, there was a little voice in the back of my head saying, this is going to be scarier than zip lining or para-sailing, but I thought, I’ve got this! So, even as JT and I walked down to the Bliss Tower I was confident. I felt very confident in the gear and had no qualms as they fitted us in the harness and helmet. Then we went to the roof and they gave us instruction on how to handle the descent. We had a handle that would control the speed of our descent and we held the rope in our right hand. Now, if we decided to go all crazy fast on the drop down there was a safety that would kick in and we wouldn’t go sliding rapidly to the ground. So I knew I wasn’t going to get out of control and I felt very comfortable with the safety measures. Everyone was great, very knowledgeable and safety-conscious. So after I went over the instructions it was time to actually step over the edge. THAT’S when the nerves finally took over! I had to back out over the building and the guys working with me were absolute saints! They kept saying, back up, back up, back up. And my body just didn’t want to cooperate! I finally got over the edge of the building and they were talking me through the descent. JT had told me not to grip the rope too tightly in my right hand or I wouldn’t go anywhere. I nodded and said, OK, got it. Um, I didn’t have it. I was gripping that rope so hard I was barely moving! If you’ve seen the video I’m CRAWLING down the side of the building like a little turtle! My sister-in-law saw the video and texted me ‘why were you going so slow’? And I replied, because I was TERRIFIED!!! I talked to myself most of the way down, mostly trying to get myself to loosen my grip on the
rope so I’d actually move. Thank you to everyone who came out to support me and had the patience to watch the SLLLLOOOOOOOWWWWWW descent! I wonder if I was the slowest down the building… But the sense of accomplishment is pretty amazing! I was surprised how exhausted I was when I got home. I’m guessing it was the adrenaline that was coursing through my veins the whole time and the fact that every muscle in my body was tensed all the way down the side of the building. And yes, I had a drink when I got home! But I got some cred with my niece and nephew! (I’m always going for cool aunt points!!) If I get another chance to do that I’ll do it and, hopefully, be a little better! But it’s always good to get out of your comfort zone!