Fear of Heights + Heights = Hot mess and screams

#CowardlyCarly

Ok, so at home in Atlanta, I lead a pretty bland life, imho.  But Travel Carly is a whole different animal.  I really try and push my boundaries when I travel. In language, food, fear, and experiences.  So when my buddy let me stay with him for not one, but two weeks (I came down to go to Harry Potter World with him, but he had to work that weekend, so he let me stay another week for the next weekend!), I wanted to do something nice for him.

I hopped on Groupon to find something interesting to do!  I found a good deal to a “Thrill Park!”  Well ok! I like thrills!  It was for one of those drop and swing “rides” that I’d seen at the Atlanta Six Flags.  I usually balk at it, but one day a friend had convinced me, until the price dissuaded me. It was like $40. Pass.  So this deal made it a very comfortable $15 per person. Alright!  Off to the Fun Spot we went!

Crap.

We pull up, and it’s a MONSTER.  It’s about 50% taller than the one I’d barely come to terms with in Atlanta.  Ho.Ly. Schnei.Kes.   In my desire to do something fun for my friend, I’d found the WORLD’S TALLEST SKY COASTER?!?

What have I done??

Well my buddy is clearly pumped, and I’m trying not to faint.  But I could do it. “I’m an adult.  No backing out  now! I already paid the $15!” I thought to myself.  I started getting really nervous when they started to suit us up. And then I saw this tiny powerhouse of awesome.

This tiny tot had NO fear. How could I?

This little girl was all suited up and ready to go.  With equal parts shame and bravery… I got suited up too.

Well… this is happening.

We opted for the video package, so someone filmed it.  They were over 300 ft away by the time we got to the top.  My buddy was in charge of pulling the cord to let us drop to our death ..doom….fun time, because I obviously couldn’t be trusted.  I don’t remember much because I think I literally blacked that part out.  I remember being surprised that I started falling, and it felt like something was wrong.  I didn’t feel anything behind me holding me up, and I thought that I was actually falling uncontrolled.  It was terrifying.  Know what was fun though? The swinging part.  That was fun.

Back to the video, I brought up that she was over 300 ft away and recording because you can mostly only hear the wind buffeting the camera, and see the speck that was us. Until we started to drop.  Then you could hear something.  You could hear it above the wind.  You could hear it at the distance.  The high pitched sound of a girl who’s pretty sure she’s about to die.

That was me.

Anyone that has spent any real amount of time with me IRL knows that I’m a jumper. I’ll squeal and giggle at the smallest of scares  much to the delight of friends, students, and jerks, lol.

So trust me when I tell you that this was TERRIFYING.  But that’s why I do it.  It’s scary, but I survived.  I wanted to chicken out, but I didn’t.  And I learned that about myself.  Scary things show you who you are even more than the fun things.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/669699407059146570/