A million thoughts were racing through my head as I began my journey up the tree to the high ropes course. One thought in my mind stuck out in particular. I kept reciting to myself, “Do not fall, do not fall, do not fall.” Those three words repeatedly raced through my head. Several eyes thirty-five feet below me were turned towards my feet. As I reached the top of the tree I immediately let out a huge sigh of relief. I had overcome the toughest part of the course, climbing up to the first planks of wood. “Stay concentrated,” I kept saying to myself.
Once I reached the planks of wood connected to the tree, I suddenly began to hear what seemed like 500 voices screaming at me. These were the voices of my friends below me cheering me on. The instructor to whom my rope was connected screamed instructions to me, as did the instructor across from me.. Suddenly I felt so overwhelmed as if a huge wave just swept over my head. I was told to disconnect from the instructor below me and connect to the one across. I finally took three deep breaths and realized what I had to do. I disconnected from the rope of the instructor below me and connected to the one across from me, on the other plank of wood.
In order to get to the other plank of wood, I had to walk across a thin cable while in a harness. As I put my foot on the cable I instantly turned around and stepped back onto the planks of wood.
“You can do it Madison, go Madison,” yelled my peers below me. I knew with the reassurance of my friends and the instructors I would be okay. I finally decided to step outside of my comfort zone, I walked across the cable. When I reached the second plank of wood, it felt as if the big wave that went over my head had just gotten washed away by a strong current. I was the strong current, pulling myself away from my fears and stepping outside of my comfort zone.
The next part of the high ropes course was the grapevine. It was an extremely thin cable with four ropes spread out to hold onto. I knew I could do this; I kept reminding myself that I was a strong current pulling myself away from my fears. I held onto the ropes and paced myself across the grapevine. I felt so successful as I reached the next planks of wood; only two more courses to go. After I reached the planks of wood, I quickly started the next course: walking across twelve wobbly pieces of wood. With my new level of confidence I continued to remind myself of a current, and I pulled my way across the wood and onto the next planks.
The last course required one to zip line fifty feet in the air to the other tree. There was the wave again, washing over me, and drifting my confidence away. I had gone zip lining once before and things did not end very well. A piece of metal had come off of the cable and flown into my eye, remaining there for almost a month. “No, I told myself, push that wave away.” Without thinking, my feet pushed off the wood and I went flying across the cable. “I’m falling, I’m falling,” I thought to myself, even though I was safely attached to the harness and zip line.
Finally, after what seemed like seven hours, the zip line came to an abrupt stop. I opened my eyes and felt so accomplished. I climbed down the ladder and my pale face turned into a smile, all the way across my face. I felt great about myself. Not only did I have the time of my life, but I also learned how to step outside of my comfort zone and teach myself to be like a current, pulling my fears away from me like a current pulls waves away from the shore.