High Flying Fun

This past weekend I participated in one of the most heart-palpating, adrenaline-rush-inducing, thrill-based-fun-events ever:

The High Flying Trapeze.

and I hated it.
sorta.

Several teachers at the school where I teach went and loved it. Raved about it.  Said I MUST try it.  So one of my colleagues, Danielle, and I offered it up as our "Teacher Feature" for our school's PTA auction.  The day finally came to take 4 kids with us and swing like monkeys.
Except it wasn't so monkey-esque.
It was more like "keep your shit-together so you don't scare the kids."

See, as a kid myself, my mom would always "encourage" (read: gently force) me to try  roller coasters, free-fall rides, and trips to the dentist.
I never wanted to but I'm sure there was some character-building lesson to be learned.
So I'd try and either somewhat like it, or downright hate it, and we'd move on.

My mom wasn't one for sitting with this little kid while the big kids went on the rides.
We were all going, and that meant I needed to suck it up and just do it.

Somehow when Danielle came to me with this idea I forgot about those childhood adventures.  They say you block out traumatic events.  So off we went to the flying trapeze!

The first time I climbed the ladder up to the 30 foot high platform I shook the entire way.
The first time I leaned over the platform, attached to a bunch of cords and pulleys for my safety, I hesitated.
I begged the expert-dude to give me a minute. I couldn't do it. This wasn't for me.
My voice shook and my eyes welled up.

He said?
"You can do it. Everyones does it."
Then I heard my mom:
"It builds character."
Or maybe it was "Oh Vicki come-on just do it."

Either way, I  jumped took a step to my doom. 
And screamed the whole way.
I didn't do any of the tricks they taught us, just swang.
When they asked if I wanted to try a backflip dismount, I said, "no thank you. just down."

Once my fit hit land again, I realized the death-defying feat wasn't so bad.
Even though I had no need to repeat the task another three times, I did.
Because each time I climbed the ladder my hands shook a little less.
Eventually a smile crept over my face.

And meanwhile the kids were doing this:

And Danielle was doing this.

And ya know, THIS!

I just swung.
somewhat happily.







I tried it.
And I can check it off my list.

Then I called my mom to tell her about it.


(Sidenote: I was SO crazy sore the next day, but considered what GREAT shape I'd be in for the wedding if I continued this.  Then shook away that idea in a second.  NOT happened again!)

What crazy feats have you tried lately?