A Happy place

Do you have a happy place?  A place where if you are feeling down, you can go and feel your soul get a little lighter?

Of course, my hoop is always my happy place.  I love dancing to live music out and about.  But it's been a few weeks since that's happened. 

Seems like I've been down lately and my happy place to go is my balcony.

We live on the 3rd floor right by a canal.

I bought this basket swing chair about a year ago and it was the best purchase ever!

There's something about swinging.  Maybe it takes me back to my childhood.  Some of my greatest memories are swinging at my grandparent's house (on the porch swing drinking tea!)

I also love looking at my little garden.  I have all kinds of herbs, flowers, and aloe vera out there.  It just makes me smile.

The garden has even gotten so big that it's peeping out through the railing.

My balcony is my little slice of relaxation.  

I can go out there and close my eyes, pray, think, cry.

Even when the sun is shining down on me...it's a nice place to sit.

Everyone needs a happy place.

Where is yours?

My big fear

What are you afraid of?

I used to be really afraid of the dark.  And even now, if I'm alone, I sleep with the light on.

But it's heights that always get me.

So where does my sister want to take me for my birthday??  An adventure park where you are up high!

So we had to wait for a few months to go...because Covid had shut everything down around my birthday.

But Trinity Adventure Park finally opened and we made our reservations.

My sister always pushes me to do things I'd never do on my on...ahem....Trapeze!!

And I go, because she is my sister and we've only got each other.  And I know she really wants me to try something new!

So when we get there, I see several levels.  A lower level (that's still pretty high), higher level and somewhere up at the top is the highest level.  We got all trained on how to hook and unhook, clip ourselves in and such.  And off we went.  

I managed to go over the first obstacle ok. 

Then came this log.

I froze.

I don't know if it's because I felt like I would fall off, or the ropes were hard to hold or what?  But it took most of my effort, and some deep breathing to make it across.  I had some tears when I got to the platform, but I actually did it!  The rest of this level, I did pretty good.  I surprised myself!  It's amazing what you can do with everyone encouraging you.

Well, we finished the first level, got back on the ground and took a rest.

Then we were going to the second level (I really think we skipped a level but oh well)

First, we had to climb this crazy ladder!  It was so spinny and turny and it took all my upper body strength to climb it.  It was no joke!

My niece and her friend were rock stars on the course!

Everyone was ahead of me, and then I came to these pogo looking sticks with pegs for feet, and pegs for hands.  There were about 7 of them, and they all dangled and swung around.

I froze again.

What got me this time, was I looked beneath me, and there was that log (where I froze the first time).  My mind immediately started talking to me and saying, you were scared on that one way down there, what makes you think you can do this!  and look how they swing around.  There's no way you can do this.

My sister going across the pogo sticks!  The log I froze on is below that!!

Our minds are powerful.  

I stood there a long time.  Tears and everything.  I finally got the gumption to get on the first one.  And just talked myself out of it.  I just couldn't get past it.

The staff were so kind and came up and rescued me. So embarrassing....

So fear is real.  Sometimes we can conquer it.  Sometimes we can't.  Sometimes we need a little encouragement, sometimes we need a whole lot.  Sometimes it doesn't matter who or what the encouragement is..we just talk ourselves out of it.

Maybe next time, I'll get a little more brave and do a higher level.  I'm excited I did the first one!  I mean, you gotta start somewhere right?

What's your fear?  Where will you start?