Climbing the Wall of Fears

       I tried something new today. I tried rock climbing.
      Well, it wasn't totally new. I tried it once in the 6th grade at Camp St. Andrew. Did I ever mention that I am deathly afraid of heights? Well, I started climbing and I was fine at first because the wall was diagonal until you got to a certain point. Completely vertical. This is when the tears began to flow. I cried and cried the rest of the way up the wall as my camp friends from below kept yelling, "You can do it, Erica!" and "Keep going! You're almost there!" But anyway, I don't really like to talk about that experience.
      And gladly, today went a little better than that day, the summer of the 6th grade. I am writing an article for the college paper on the rock climbing club, which I didn't even know existed. So tonight, I decided to do a Sara Haines type news segment and talk to some rock climbers and just try it myself. Well, I was fine with this idea, until I was walking toward the gym. I kept having flashbacks of the rock wall at camp...the crying, the screaming, the kicking. (It was really only just crying.) I walked in and started chit chatting with my new rock climber friends and they walked me through everything. But he said one thing that scared me. "If you're not like...the ultimate couch potato, you'll be fine." Well, funny, I was watching Married with Children earlier that day and Al came in the house and Peg was sleeping on the couch with chip bags all over her and her arm stretched across her forehead with chocolate bon bons in her hand and Oprah blasting from the television. Well, this was the image of myself that popped into my mind. But I went with it anyway. I figured I can't back out now. It'd be like those people who are in line for a roller coaster and then they chicken out and do that walk of shame back through the line. I feel bad for those people, but I don't want to be one of them.
       I started on the "easy" side of the rock wall. They told me that usually, when they get to the top, they touch, not just the top rock, but the top of the rock wall for ultimate victory pretty much. All I thought was, "Yeah, that'll never happen for me." I walked up the wall and stood there for a second, collected my thoughts and nerves, and there I went. I was doing just dandy until about 3/4th of the way up, when I realized how high up I was. I was not going to cry this time. Instead, I just started shaking. But I kept going. I couldn't believe what I was doing. Straighten my legs, reach for the next rock. Straighten my legs, reach for the next rock. I hit that top rock, the yellow rock. From my new friends down below, I could hear "Touch the top of the wall! You can do it!"And with all my might, I straightened my legs and threw myself up to the top of the wall. It was incredible. I let go and came swinging down and when I hit the ground, my legs just slid and I sat right down.
        I don't know what I was thinking, but I decided to try a step up. Take on the next level of climbing. Well, needless to say, I did not make it up to the top on this one, but at least I tried. I fell once, fell twice, then decided...I'll try again some other times. I never knew I had muscles in my forearms, but THEY WERE KILLING ME.  I can't wait to see how they feel tomorrow.
        Anyway, go out and try something new today. You will feel like a better person, and you may discover things you never knew existed. And sort of overcome your fear of heights....or whatever your fears may be.