Bravery
Facing Your Biggest Fears
Finish the Sentence Friday
I am linking up with Janine at Janine's Confession of a Mommyaholic. She has a great prompt each Friday. This week's Finish the Sentence Friday is .....
The bravest thing I've ever done is......
I believe bravery is specific to the person. I have done things in my life that others may have thought to be brave. Things that I just considered a part my life. When I was 24, I raised my three older children after my husband died. I chose to stay where we lived instead of going back to family. I had to stand up many times as the head of the household.
I took my children and drove across the country when they were young to take them on vacations. Many people would think that took courage.
What took courage for me was something that some people would consider nothing. When I turned 50 my second husband took our son and I on a cruise for my birthday. My son was 10 years old at the time.
We had a wonderful time on the cruise and one of the stops was in Jamaica. Jamaica is a beautiful country. One of our excursions was to Dunn's River Falls. It is such a beautiful place. People climb Dunn's River Falls.
Well, here is where the courage comes in, I have a fear of water. I never learned to swim as a child. My older brother almost drowned when we were young and my mom kept me and my younger sister away from water from then on. So, when I got to high school age I still had a tremendous fear of water.
As an adult I had taken some swim lessons so that I wasn't terrified anymore. I could get into a pool where I could see the bottom and know where I was. In any other water I wouldn't go past my knees.
Well, when we got to Dunn's River Falls my husband decided that he was staying with our valuables and I was going up the Falls with our son. I wasn't excited about that! I tried to talk him into it and he said, no, that we just wouldn't go then. My son wanted to go. So I decided to do it! I was climbing the Falls.
When you start you line up and hold hands with people to keep from falling. The Falls are pretty slippery and with the water rushing down it makes it a little hard in places to climb. The water came well up past my waist in places. After we got a little ways up people started letting go and going on. I had to lift my son up in a few places because he couldn't make it up.
We made our way up the Falls. I was exhausted when we got to the top. The thing that I wasn't expecting was that I was also ecstatic. I had challenged my fears and won. I was 50 years old and I had done something I never thought I would do.
When I got home a friend told me that her nephew fell and was hurt climbing the Falls and had to be airlifted to Mexico and spent several week in the hospital. I'm certainly glad I didn't know that before I went.
After braving the Falls, when something scared me a little, I remembered climbing the Falls. If I could do that, I could do many things. My husband had chosen to stay down that day because he wanted me to climb the Falls. The pictures that we purchased that day shows me glowing with happiness. I will dig them out and post them someday.
My brave thing may not be brave to you, but it was to me!
Favorite Things
1. What book do you never tire of reading? Gone With The Wind. Most books I will read once or twice, but Gone With The Wind I could read many times.
2 What song do you never tire of hearing? I don't have just one. My mother sang hymns as she worked around the house when I was growing up. Those songs take me back to the days when my mom was alive and those are such great memories.
3. What movie do you never tire of watching? This is a newer movie and I have watched it several times and I don't think I will ever tire of it. Midnight in Paris. I love the French scenery in the movie. The movie also goes back into earlier times in Paris, which I just love.
Tell me about your favorite things
Have you shown bravery? Have you ever faced your biggest fear?
Tell me about it.
What an experience! Even more so because you were able to overcome something like that. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kristin! I absolutely loved the experience. I want to try more things before I get too old to do them.
DeleteI have a massive fear of heights, I did walk through Silver Falls in Oregon in 1995 which had heights and little ledges..but for me to truly get through this I want to zip line... I tried to do that this summer but the people I was supposed to go with never made it out... I will go next summer regardless of other people...
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to Zip Line. I want to do that too. When the Superbowl was in Indianapolis they had a zip line downtown that cost $10.00. They were sold out before I could get there. My children went a place called GoApe for my youngest son's birthday last year. I went and watched them. I would like to try it, but I need to get into better shape.
DeleteAwesome reminder for us all to face those fears!!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, I think once you conquer a fear it makes your life so much better. One accomplishment leads to many more.
DeleteI would have been more afraid of the actual height of the falls. I am more afraid of heights the older I get right now. But I will say I think it is awesome you to do that and totally concur your fears. Thanks as always Betty for sharing and for linking up with us again this week!! :)
ReplyDeleteI have a little fear of heights too! I was a little shaky at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I didn't stay long but I went up there! I really think when we let our fears take over we don't live life fully.
DeleteI am not terribly afraid of water but I do like it better when I can see what's under me too! What I am terrified of is heights so that would have been tough for me in that respect. Good for you for facing your fear and it is a very big deal!
ReplyDeleteI hope you allow yourself to go to the highest level and look down. You will feel like you have conquered the world. I did that from the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was amazing. I just didn't stay long.
DeleteI think you were incredibly brave! Not sure I would have been able to do it...I'm really afraid of heights. Congratulations! I think this is the perfect brave thing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kristi! I think everyone has fears, it is just whether or not they hold us back from living life. I hope you live life.
DeleteWow! It's a good thing you didn't hear about that fall before your trip ... and that it didn't give you reservations about trying other new things. Some people would have gone to the falls, heard that story and then convinced themselves that it was a fluke they weren't injured and still be afraid to do other things ...
ReplyDeleteI would have had a problem putting my 10 year old up there is I thought it was dangerous. I was a conquerer. I don't think anything could have discouraged me after I accomplished those falls.
DeleteI'm a huge book worm and have never read Gone With The Wind, it's always been on my 'to read' list but I never seem to get around to it. One of these days!
ReplyDeleteJulia, I hope you enjoy the book. I love it! I am like you, I love books. I used to carry a stack of books in my car so I could read anytime I had a minute. Now I have my nook, my ipad, and my phone. I have over 200 books on those and can buy more anytime.
DeleteWow, that did take courage! Not sure I'd have been able to do that...
ReplyDeleteThanks Natalie! At the time I didn't feel very courageous, but I do now.
DeleteBetty, that is such a cool story. You are one brave woman.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dawn! I hadn't really thought about that trip for a while. It was great to remember the feelings I came home with.
DeleteThat is a great story of courage.
ReplyDeleteI love midnight in Paris and also Vickie, Cristina barcelona.
Thanks Michele! I have never heard of Vickie, Cristina barcelona. I am going to have to Google it. Sounds interesting.
DeleteThis is a really good story. I remember the first brave thing I ever did. I moved from Texas to Mississippi with just me and my baby ( not a baby any more) after I graduated High School. I needed a change and boy did I get one. After that moving was not as scary.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deedra! Isn't it great that when you step outside your comfort zone you gain so much in the way of confidence. I think you actually grow so much when you challenge yourself.
DeleteYou are right, I won! Thanks for that great point of view.
ReplyDelete