[打卡]3-16

谈及为什么选择蹦极，挑战自己的恐惧When I first heard that question out loud, I thought, It’s obvious! I’m in the wicked clutches of an anaconda of a midlife crisis. But I was live on YouTube, so I couldn’t say that.

Here’s what I actually said:

“I’ve had an interesting relationship with fear my whole life. I’ve traversed the spectrum of fear reactions, from complete debilitation through inspiration and sometimes slipping into outright foolishness. But when the idea of heli bungee jumping over the Grand Canyon came up, I wasn’t debilitated, and I sure wasn’t inspired—all I could think was, This shit is stupid.”

My childhood Grand Canyon trip was a deeply meaningful experience. I’ve always remembered how beautiful it was, but I also remember how terrified I was to walk up to the edge. Harry even got close enough to drop his drum in it, but I stayed back, too scared to take in the full majesty.

I’ve realized that for some reason, God placed the most beautiful things in life on the other side of our worst terrors. If we are not willing to stand in the face of the things that most deeply unnerve us, and then step across the invisible line into the land of dread, then we won’t get to experience the best that life has to offer.

So I’ve been making a conscious effort to attack all the things that I’m scared of. And this is scary. When Yes Theory challenged me to heli bungee, my heart jumped. And I’ve learned to recognize that feeling as a signal that the great gift has presented itself. As soon as my heart jumps, I’m in—I gotta do it. But I also can’t be outdone, so when Yes Theory said “Heli bungee,” I added, “Over the Grand Canyon . . . and on my 50th birthday.”