Thursday, June 16, 2011

Talk About Backsliding!!!

So I left my readers yesterday with a comment about not wanting to erase any of Mari's gains by trying to 'force' more camping skills should the predicted rain appear. I believe I used the words 'back sliding' to describe my fear for her progress? .......rest of post said with head hung in shame and embarrassment.......


We discovered a huge zip-line tour operating about 5 minutes away from Aunt Agnes' lake house and everyone [except Patrick that is] decided that it would be a fantastic substitute for our planned swimming and boating which the weather [cold and misting] had squelched. We all suited up...


...and we all hopped into the transport jeep for the trip up to the tower.


We all climbed to the top of the launching tower....


....but only two of us came down the zip-line!!!


You just had to know that our gutsy girl Julia made the trip!!


The mega-grin is your clue to the other brave soul!!!!!!!

Eh hem, cough, cough....standing on the top of that tower watching my precious babies link onto the line as the breeze swayed the tower I began to feel quite...um quite...um PANICKED!!!!!!!! So fast and so hard did the panic attack come on that I seriously thought I just may be having a bona fide heart attack! The accompanying nausea even kind of escalated my sense of being mid-myocardial infarct! Much to the guides credit, he tried to assure me that the panic would pass and I would forever regret my decision to bolt back down the stairs but all I heard was the pounding of my heart. I did have to look at my daughters with their fingers formed in the letter L held against their foreheads just a couple of times today. I earned it. I had really thought with my love of roller coasters and no particular fear of heights that I could do this! I underestimated the extent to which I have become dominated by my need to be in control. When it came time to relinquish control and trust in the rigging...I lost it.


So here and now I bow down in awe at the incredible women that my daughters are becoming. Young ladies who had fears of heights and the unknown yet placed their trust in the rigging....THREE times they made the decision to jump from the tower and glide high above Terra Firma....and they had the time of their lives!!!!!! We will be returning to this zip-line course because they now want to take the two hour tour over the lakes and forests of Wisconsin. Just maybe I'll conquer my fear of losing control and make the jump off the tower so I can be like those brave young women you see above?!?


Decided at the last minute to wait out the interminable upload time for a video so you can see one of their rides!

3 comments:

  1. I've only ever had one real panic attack and I totally thought I was dying. While you may forever be a loser, I bet you'll conquer your fear next time. :-)

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  2. Its Ok, they will love making fun of you, probalby even more fun for them then if you had done it. I"m suprised you can do anything like that with your ear problems. Geez how old was that kid driving the jeep?
    Glad they had a blast!!!!

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  3. they are brave. too scary for me! I don't blame you one bit!

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