For as long as I can remember, I have had a bit of a fear of heights. The first time I remember facing this particular fear head on was on a team building experience at a ropes course in my mid 20’s.  I was the only female present and one of my teammates knew I had a fear of heights, which he also had.   He challenged me, on the last exercise of the day which also happened to be the hardest, to climb the pamper pole (which is a bit like a telephone pole) and leap off it in an attempt to catch the trapeze.  He said if I would do it then he would too.  Several of our co-workers had already successfully climbed the pole and made the leap and I’m pretty sure he thought challenging me was a sure way to avoid climbing the pole.  He didn’t know me well!  My legs were like jelly and I thought I might pass out but getting these guys respect was far more important to me so I did it.  Standing up at the top of the pole was success…I could care less whether I actually caught the trapeze.  If I had a chance to do it now, catching the trapeze would be important but back then success was facing this fear and meeting a challenge!

Today, I faced this fear again as our family did the Story Bridge Adventure Climb which is one of only 3 bridge climbs in the world!  The Story Bridge is one of Brisbane’s most recognizable icons which fortunately we get to look at each night out of our bedroom window!   We love seeing the bridge light up in different colors depending on what is going on with a particular holiday or charity.   The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed cantilever bridge that connects the north and south side of the city from Kangaroo Point to Fortitude Valley and Brisbane CBD.  From the top we were treated to stunning 360 degree views of the city!  We were able to spot Eve’s school and our local theatre and park!  In addition, we realized that we are starting to get our bearings just a bit!  Brisbane is situated on the Brisbane River and it zigs and zags and curves and turns so much it takes a bit to figure out which way is upriver and which way is downriver.  As we stood atop the bridge today, we marveled at how far we have come in our six weeks here!

   
The two hour climb went by so fast we couldn’t believe it!  The care that is taken to assure each climbers safety goes a long way to calming one’s fears.  One thousand one hundred thirty four steps of adventure and oh what a view!  My knees were still wobbly and my heart raced at certain points along the way but I did it!  We did it!  As Lawson and I get our coaching practice back up and running after a sabbatical, we are reminded in working with others how important it is to always be pushing forward in our own lives in addressing our fears.  Addressing our fears in a safe environment is of paramount importance.  Today’s climb was a safe place to work on mine!  Come see us and I will face them again with another Story Bridge climb!  Here’s to not letting a little fear get in the way of life’s adventures!