Thursday, September 27, 2012

Taking the Big Plunge......

Traveling abroad, whether alone or with a buddy, opens up the opportunity for you to do other activities you might otherwise to too much of a chicken shit to attempt. Many places specialize in different extreme hobbies like cliff diving, bungee jumping, deep sea diving, rock climbing, you name it. Hell, if you're already brave enough to jet set across the world, you already have the balls to try something completely out of your comfort zone. And what better way to overcome a fear of heights or falling than to hang glide off the cliff side coast of Lima, Peru? The beauty of discovering how brave you actually are is that it opens up a world of crazy and exciting adventures you normally wouldn't think twice about attempting. This was the case for yours truly in Greece. After my teaching stint my fellow English instructors and I decided to get a little crazy and bungee jump in the Corinth Canal. I'm pretty convinced we made this irrational decision after a few shots of Ouzo, and by few I mean 12. With a solid buzz a group of about 15 psycho ESL teachers schlepped down to the extreme sports office right on the canal and irresponsibly signed away our lives to jump off of a perfectly solid and stable platform into the abyss. I'll admit it was one of the coolest things I've ever done. I can't lie. I probably shat myself just a little bit on the way down, but it was totally worth it. The anticipation of waiting to potentially plummet to your death is like waiting for, say, the red light to turn green when you're racing home because your bladder is about to explode. You know the experience is going to feel amazing and be totally worth the wait, but it doesn't prevent you from feeling like you're going to bust at the seams, or the bladder :) I remember standing at the edge of the platform looking out on the canal. I couldn't see any part of the rigging behind me so it felt like I was floating in mid air. Then you leap out in a Pocahontas style swan dive and for a split second you're suspended in air thinking to yourself "What the f%ck was I thinking!" In the video you can actually hear me spouting off the most vulgar and profane lingo I could muster. I would have made sailors blush. And it was TOTALLY worth it. Doing the things that scare you the most gives you the confidence to set bigger, better, and more challenging goals.  You realize there is nothing you can't do. Or at least try to do. Whatever scares you the most can become your biggest motivator. Figure out what makes you sweat, take a deep breath, and dive right in. I can promise you'll be glad you did.

Cheers,
Danni


                                         Busting at the seams before taking the big plunge



                                                   Oh ShiT!!


                                                       Hang gliding in Peru. Wowza!!
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