Today’s an interior design post. And by interior design, I’m referring to the kind on the right side of the picture below…
It’s about the day I decided to see Rock City and how I forced myself to move a mental mountain thanks to a wobbly walkway that I was positive I’d never be able to cross.
(source)
It was called the Swing-A-Long Bridge and I had no idea you had to cross the thing to get out of the park. It stopped me dead in my tracks, and I truly believed, with every fiber of my being, that I would not be able to cross it.
No way.
No how.
Not. Gonna. Happen.
I mean, I really, really believed it just wasn’t something that I could do.
For some reason, I don’t do well with a number of things, but extra loud places, extra quiet places, extra dark places, and extra high places are a few of my biggest fears.
(source)
And believe me when I say, the Swing-A-Long Bridge feels even more treacherous than it looks in that last photo. It had an Indiana-Jones-and-the-Temple-Of-Doom vibe and visions of a falling Harrison Ford & Co. began to run rampant in my mind.
Walking all the way back through the park wasn’t really an option though. At one point you have to go through something called “Fat Man’s Squeeze”, and as you can see in the photo below, it’s really a one-way traffic kind of a thing:
(source)
So, much to my dismay, I had to get across that bridge if I wanted to go home. (insert paralysis here)
It was about that same time, a group of young kids came running up full speed behind me. I noticed their parents walking in the distance behind them, and it was pretty apparent the kids could not WAIT to bounce their way across that scary, swingy thing.
(source)
And when I say “bounce their way”, I mean: all three kids grabbed ahold of those rope rails, and seriously shook that sucker up and down the entire way across it.
It was horrifying and comforting all at the same time. Horrifying for obvious reasons, and comforting because once they made it safely across, (whew!) I did feel a wee flicker of youcandothis.
It was in that moment that I decided to just do it. I had to quit thinking about it, and just do it.
I looked behind me to make sure there weren’t any more speedy little bridge bouncers coming up from behind, and once I was certain the coast was clear, I grabbed ahold of those rope rails and started walking. The walkway bobbed up and down with each careful step, and I heard noises that had my heart racing like crazy. I kept my eyes firmly fixed on the finish line the whole way.
Needless to say, I made it to the other side, and I was instantly filled to the brim with happiness and adrenaline! I felt so alive, (no pun intended) and ever since then, I’ve referred to those types of accomplishments as “rope bridge moments”.
I’ll admit, I’m still too chicken to put myself in those kinds of positions more than a few couple times a year, but forcing myself through something that initially feels scary-impossible, and experiencing a rope bridge moment after the fact, does help me to remember that I don’t have to be fearless. I just need to try to not let my fears paralyze me from taking action. And even though they are few and far between- rope bridge moments sure do have a way of adding up, don’t they?