Standing on a precipice

Several years ago, it was late in the month of May, and while the air was still chilly, the bright sun shone warm upon my skin that afternoon. For some perplexing reason, I found myself standing on the roof of a building; it was something like a large shed with a flat roof. This location was apparently the termination point of the zip line I had just ridden, but yet it was devoid of any staff. I stood there for what seemed like a minute or two, and I looked around, unsure of what to do next. And then I heard voices, coming from somewhere below. I looked down over the edge of the roof and there was a wooden deck with a young man and woman sitting in lawn chairs in a corner. But it was what they were telling me to do that was, from my vantage point, completely insane! All I heard was “Jump! Jump! Jump!” And I looked down at those people like they were nuts, needless to say. They looked back up at me and again told me to jump. And I just stood there, staring down at them and glancing around again. Surely there had to be a ladder, or some other reasonable and safe way to get down off of the roof. But there was nothing, no other avenue than that which was demanded of me by the staffers below. I had two choices at this point. Stay on the roof, or jump down onto the deck which was perhaps only about twelve or fifteen feet below. But it was far enough down that I had no intention of taking a leap.  I was obviously still attached to the zip line but I could not figure out for the life of me how I would be able to jump and hopefully have a soft landing. Logically I knew that those who rode the zip line before me (and presumably jumped) were alive and well, but every fiber of my being was telling me to stay away from that edge. Jumping was the last thing I wanted to do. I reluctantly walked towards the edge, all the while hearing “Come on, jump!” as I looked down at the deck. I remember having trouble jumping off a low diving board in a pool many years ago, and so this was way outside of my comfort zone.

But there was no other way down, at least none that was being offered to me at that moment. So I clenched my teeth, closed my eyes and stepped off into space. And then suddenly, I found myself standing upon the deck when I opened my eyes. I think that for a moment, I nearly blacked out. My heart was racing and my body was shaking as they helped me out of the harness. I felt like I was gasping for breath. It took me more than a few moments to calm down and I said nothing to my friend John as we left, who was not able ride because he exceeded the weight limit. The zip line itself was a lot of fun, but the dismounting procedure was terrifying… Worse yet, there was no forewarning given of that nasty ending to potential riders.

So now, despite my past experiences of such scary and nerve-wracking events, I have placed a reservation to undertake that which will be far more terrifying. As of now, there is no specific date for this challenge, but it will take place either this spring or summer. I will be able to choose the date and time, a perk of buying my ticket early on. But, at some point this will come to pass, and I will be facing that challenge head on. But what will happen when the rubber meets the road, so to speak? I’ve ridden over 275 different roller coasters, but I’ve never done anything like this. Walking the New River Gorge Bridge was freaky, and walking the Bay Bridge was epic. But this time I won’t just be strolling along high atop some structure, but rather I will be bungee jumping off of one!