Five of us headed to Mystic Mountain.
What an afternoon it was! We tried a little of everything! We walked through and read up on some of the local history from the museum at the top. We ran the bobsled track (a couple of times!) and, all five of us, ran the zip lines! Yes! That's right! All. Five.
So, while I originally thought today's moment would be seeing my Dad dive in dance with the locals at the museum (seriously, what a gut laughing moment we all loved!) the real moment found me while we were out on the zip lines.
Why that moment? Well, that's because my Big Sis went out on a limb. Literally. And she's afraid of heights.
Not only did she survive the 15-20 minute chairlift, but she agreed to ride the bob sled and experience the zip line course. (Did I mention she's afraid of heights? Oh. And she doesn't like rides. Too fast. Too scary. And fast corners? Yup. Even scarier for her. (um. Helllloooo! A bobsled course? You know that there are corners on those tracks, right? And....that a bobsled moves pretty fast?)
And yet, she did it. All of it.
But it wasn't until we were suited up for the zip line course that she realized that there was a free fall drop on the zipline course. "A WHAT?" she said.Yes. That's right. A freefall drop. Where they lean you out in your harness, over the edge of the platform and drop you to the one below. Tethered of course. Through a pulley system. Easy!
She went white when we told her.
And then, she bravely followed us to the first zip line.
She screamed through the first line and while I didn't see her before she began the next line (there were too many people between us!), I didn't hear her scream on the second line. I think she must have enjoyed it on some level!
And then we came to the free fall drop. EQ and I had officially been separated from my parents and my Big Sis. I couldn't see how she was doing. Was she enjoying herself? Was she scared and just pushing through? I wasn't close enough to give her a squeeze of encouragement if she needed it. I found myself nervous for her. I hoped it wasn't too scary for her. I could only send her some energy from the back of the pack of people.
And then I heard her scream. I knew that in that moment it was over. She had dropped from one platform to the next.
Phew!
When we finally caught up again, EQ & I pumped her for her thoughts on the experience. While she wasn't as ghostly white as she was when she found out about the free fall drop, she was pretty shaken. But, beneath that nervous laugh was a look of accomplishment. She'd never admit it (stubborn 'ol bird!), but I think she secretly loved it and was proud of herself for taking the leap.
I know I was damn proud of her! For her joining the family in Jamaica. That was a big step for her. For risking possible embarrassing family moments. For agreeing to step even further outside of her comfort zone and try something extremely new. Never before had I known her to try something so scary and challenging for her. She's pushing her boundaries. I'm proud of her for doing so. On all points, today's moment only highlights how far she's come. A free fall from a tree. So incredible!
Moments watching a new experience unfold.
Moments feeling proud for steps taken forward by those you love.
