This is how crazy I am…
I love the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. The views are spectacular. BUT…I’m terrified of heights. Therefore, I spend a good amount of time afraid I’m going to crash off the side of the road and plummet to my death.
I still spend hours driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, but I often wonder how much better the experience would be if I wasn’t white-knuckling the steering wheel and focusing on taking regular breaths.
Sigh.
It’s not just driving where my fear can get the better of me. See this bridge…this teeny tiny, barely off the ground, bridge?
Notice the tension in the dog’s leash as I try to prevent her from looking over the edge of the scary bridge?
It took me THREE attempts to make myself walk over it when I was on a hike. THREE. I could have just walked through the freaking creek. (Also, because it wasn’t a loop, I had to cross it again coming back.) Don’t even ask how long it takes me to crawl down a steep trail.
And yet I keep going back…because I really love the mountains and I’m a firm believer that you shouldn’t avoid doing something you could enjoy just because you’re afraid of it.