The Zip Line

Each step I climbed made me ill. I looked out at the Destin skyline and thought, “What the #$%$ am I doing?” The treetops rocked in the breeze. I took another step and another one. My stomach churned. I could turn back but I wasn’t going to — I was going to ride the zip line.

I hate heights. No, I loathe them. They strike fear in my heart, make my palms sweat and cause my knees to buckle. Really. How bad to I despise heights? I got nervous during the fight scene in the movie Up. And it’s a cartoon.

I reached the top of the tower which is several stories off the ground. I grabbed the handrail tightly and looked out across the way to the other tower. It was connected with nothing more than a thin, steel cable. One that was going to hold my fat butt as I slid over there.

My knees were weak at this point. I couldn’t chicken out. I refused to look or back down.

The man at the top checked my harness again and hooked me to the pulley. “Walk out on the plank slowly.” I felt nauseous. One step. Another. And another. Then a step into nothing. A step into nothing but pure faith.

Away I went. There was nothing between me and the ground.

Before I knew it, I hit the other platform and the guy unhooked me. I walked up the stairs for my return trip. I leapt off the platform like Superman. This time it was fun. I waved at the people on the ground, kicked my legs and enjoyed the ride.

As I looked at my ant-like family on the ground, I thought the leap was a wonderful metaphor about my life — I’m in a time of great change. A reinvention that is causing me to take several leaps of faith.

Change is not easy. It’s downright scary. When you’re a cancer survivor like me, you crave “normalcy” like oxygen. So my fear of heights isn’t much different than my fear of change. But I will overcome that fear. Why? Same reasons I overcame my fear of the zip line. I wouldn’t walk up a tower and walk off a plank without some things to put my faith in: A harness, a cable, safety inspections, etc. I knew bad things could happen (for example: me falling to my death) but I also knew the odds were in my favor. Change in my life is the same way. I have faith in my family. My friends. My community. People believe in my talent. That’s my safety harness. Yes, I could fall (or fail as the case might be), but I know that I most likely won’t. I’ll make it to the other side. And it will be well-worth it.

The zip line proved three things to me: I can take a risk. I can take a leap. And I will enjoy the ride.