Yesterday, I spent about 5 wonderful hours communing with nature along with several friends as we spent the late morning and early afternoon kayaking on the Duck River in southern middle Tennessee. During this “float” as we like to call it, we encountered a rope swing tied to a very large tree that had fallen over along the river bank. The rope was tied to one of the very large outstretched limbs and was about 10-15 feet long with the end about 2-3 feet above the water. There were several short pieces of 2×4 lumber nailed to the trunk as “steps” to help the interpid swingers make their way out to the end of the trunk where the rope hung.
When we paddled up to the swing, our fearless “leader”, Keith declared that he was taking a turn and was urging us all to join him. This was something I’ve always been afraid to do as I’m rather afraid of heights and jumping/falling any real distance. But, with the urging of the group and seeing how much fun Keith, Joe, Julia and David had had, I decided to give it a try. So, I managed to climb out of my kayak between the trunk and a separate tree stump that made a sort of “dock” and climb up onto the trunk and began making my way up the trunk to where the rope swing waited.
David passed the rope up to me and I began to position myself for the leap and swing all the while feeling my heart pounding and the fear of jumping and falling crashing around in my head. This, of course, was being drowned out by the chorus of “go for it” and “jump” and “one, two, three… GO!” shouts of encouragement from my friends. So, after several agonizing seconds I went for it and jumped. And promptly swung down and splash into the water, entirely missing the “swing” action but nonetheless totally enjoying the experience!
So, I did it again, only this time, managed to jump a little higher and hold on a little better so that I didn’t hit the water as soon, but I still failed to “swing and fall” but rather more “jumped and fell with the control of the rope”.
Now, you might be asking, whats the big deal? Well, I’ll tell ya. A year ago, this then 43 year old man, probably wouldn’t have taken the challenge. Why? Because of the fears I mentioned before. But, in the ensuing months, I’ve started to read up on finding ways to conquer my fears and to inspire me to take “leaps of faith”. I read a blog by Leo Babauta and he posted an article that talks about overcoming your fears and doing things that you would normally not do because of the fears. In this article he says,
“3. Feel the fear. You’ve acknowledged it, but you’re still afraid of it. You’re reluctant to even have this fear, perhaps even embarrassed about it. Well, no more. Recognize that you’re not alone, that we ALL have these fears, that we all think we might not be good enough. Yes, even the amazing Barack, the amazing Jessica Alba, the amazing Al Pacino. They have the same fears as you do. I sure do. Repeat after me: there’s nothing wrong with having this fear. Now allow yourself to feel it. Experience it fully. Bask in this fear. It isn’t as bad as you think. It’s a part of you, but it doesn’t control you. From djbarker on Twitter: “Feel the fear & do it anyway.”
This was powerful stuff to me several months ago, and it still is. In fact, I believe it was rattling around in my head as I stood on that trunk holding the rope and wondering if I could take the leap. I honestly believe it helped me conquer the fear of falling and leaping and just doing it.
So, in a world of rope swings, I urge you all to feel the fear and do it anyway and grab onto the rope and jump. The worst that could happen is you fall into the water and get wet, which is exactly where you’re headed if you succeed since I doubt you can hold onto the rope forever.
