Are you ready for this? I am ready as I’ll ever be. I answer this way when I am thinking of doing something pretty far outside of my comfort zone. It means I am ready to throw myself into something however not ready I may be. Things aren’t going to get any better so I may as well forge ahead. Face the fear and uncertainty and step out onto the stage.
One thing I am never ready for is being in a high place. Things like bungee jumping, sky diving or hiking along the edge of a high cliff. I know I could work on overcoming these fears but I am not ready yet.
A recurrent bad dream I have (thankfully not too often) is that I am walking along or toward the edge of a very, very high cliff and suddenly I am pulled to the edge and over it. I have this horrible feeling in my stomach and, oh no! , here I go over the edge and have the sensation of falling a long way down until….I end up in the ocean below.
I know I would not like going to the Grand Canyon and looking over the edge or riding one of those little donkeys down those narrow little, slippery paths to the floor of the canyon either. There is this Sky Walk platform that loops out from the edge of the canyon. It is clear plastic so you can see through your feet to all the way down below. Hey if we were meant to “sky walk” we would have wings right?
I think the trouble is I have a good imagination and I can imagine the donkey coming across a rattlesnake on the path ….or my donkey being kicked by another donkey ….or losing it’s footing and….if I ever rode one down I would have to look at that skinny little path and see how high up I was. You know how they tell you when you are climbing up a high mountain, “Don’t look down.” I could imagine that Sky Walk coming loose from its cantilevers or whatever is bolting it to the cliff and…or the walkway starts to crack under the weight of so many people…or someone bumps me over the rail and ….you get the idea.
This post is my contribution to Stream of Consciousness Saturday.
Notes Tied On The Sagebrush 
MDW Karen and I recently went to the top of a peak in the Rockies, Deborah. Photos to come at my place on Tuesday … Don’t look down, my friend. No, really, it was spectacular and beautiful, and I never felt fear of falling. (The drive up, handled by my daughter’s boyfriend, was scary for him.)
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Well maybe they don’t have a Sky Walk? I like some of the views from our coast highway here in California but sometimes those winding, narrow roads with the big drops…There used to be a stretch called The Devil’s Slide. They bypassed it some years ago. Look forward to your photos. 🙂
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Yes, I drove A1A 10 years ago, Deborah, and the Pacific Coast Highway scared the heck out of me. I will admit it. To twisty and narrow!
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Yes. It is my husband who would be driving most times. Did you notice the big tour buses driving along that route? They should give those drivers a big bonus. But the views are pretty spectacular at least from the passenger seat. 🙂
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Yes, MDW Karen kept saying, look at how beautiful it is! And I kept saying, If I look we will plunge into the ocean! Yes, Deborah, those bus drivers deserve big paychecks. 🙂
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Yes I’m with you Mark, keep your eyes on the road 😀
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I once had a friend who wouldn’t sit next to the floor-to-ceiling windows in our office because the wall was only about 6 inches high and we were on the 16th floor. Heights don’t bother me much. I had to laugh at the idea of the donkey seeing the snake. That would be my luck. I’ve always thought that if I visit Grand Canyon, I’ll walk the path as far as I can. Great response to the prompt.
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Yes I think I trust my own feet better. 🙂 I can relate to your friend. Thank You Dan 🙂 And thanks for letting me know it made you laugh because I was aiming for some humor with my stream of consciousness too.
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I know that feeling! I used to work on overcoming my fear of heights by going on the outdoor ropes course my agency has. I got better once I trusted the equipment, and I loved the zip line, but I still can get very uncomfortable with heights. Going out on that clear sky walk would NOT be fun for me. I never made the connection before with having a good imagination, but that makes sense because I have a doozie of an imagination. Falling into the ocean would be nice though. I have almost no fear of the ocean. Maybe next time you have that dream, a parachute will be on your back and you can pull the cord and drift gently.
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Yes I know that I could get more comfortable with cliffs and heights. Yes if I had a parachute that might help. The zip line does intrigue me especially if it was over a forest. 🙂
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Heights can be scary. But how can you get any thrills in life if you don’t take risks? I’ll hike a high trail, but I draw the line at bungee jumping.
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I think I like different kinds of thrills. 🙂 I do like panoramic views and nature just not being suspended over it as much. 😀
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I join you on this one. I don’t dream about it but once I’m anywhere very high I have the feeling that I want to jump and fly. Maybe I was a bird in another life! Lol
Your photos are stunning.
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I like the views of our beautiful coastline and like views from hills and mountains as long as I am not standing at the edge of a cliff. You know one of those with a shear drop. The photos are from the National Park Service. I liked the one of Mather Point storm. 🙂
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We think alike!
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I like this take on ‘ready’ Deborah. I too have things I am NOT ready to take on either. Heights being one though the sky walk wouldn’t bother me as much as the donkey ride….
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Thank You Tom. Well it is true that the sky walk would probably be over quicker than the donkey ride unless the donkey went over the edge. 🙂
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You do have a fatalistic view on this don’t you….lol…..maybe flat desert landscapes would suit you better?
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It is just my humor, sometimes it is a little on the dark side 😈
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I love PCH and that sky walk thing sounds so thrilling.
I did the CN Tower’s Edge Walk and loved it. Heights are the normal amount of frightening for me. I want to sky dive, but that may be asking too much.
You never know what you might be ready for, unless you go for it is my thought.
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I am not familiar with CN Tower’s Edge Walk. Well if you are in to the edge walks the Sky Walk would probably be thrilling for you.
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Have read about some relatively recent studies on something termed “High Place Phenomenon.” An urge to jump from high places and is not related to suicidal or depressive behaviour. Looks as though there’s an opposite to everything:))
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Yes well I do not get an urge to jump in real life but in my dream it is feeling pulled against my will. Which is a great feeling by the way. 🙂 I think I read that dreams of falling are related to something challenging in our lives.
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Beautiful pictures from the bird’s eye view! I rode the cable car across a narrow strait of sea several times and it was quite scary. Mountain climbing is not for me.
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Thank you. Well if I were hiking up a nice trail without having to hang on to the side of a cliff like a rock climber I might like to go up a mountain. The cable car would be scary. Many times when I am in situations that trigger my imagination of disaster, ha, ha, I have to think calmly and try to get through it.
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