Starting a new chaper in my life. I've always been scaried of heights. Haven't been able to climb up the mast or look over the side of a light house. Then a month or so ago I decided that I wanted to change some things. So for my birthday I faced my fear and went bungy jumping! It was amazing to say the least. I had a month to chicken out, and the two weeks beforehand I swear I didn't sleep. Nerves continued to rise as we drove to the bungy tower, but my mind had sort of won over my body - like after a month of my body saying 'hell no!' it just came to turn numb and realised that there's no getting out of this..
The climb up was one of the most terrifying things I've ever done. By the 3rd level of this 14 story building I was telling Dad and Baden(my 14yrold bother) that I really really don't want to do this anymore. But my legs kept going..
At the top we had 15mins to relax and get use to the view. I couldn't even look over the edge for a while, then I figgured if I got myself use to the view it wouldn't be so bad, boy was I wrong! The massive plumit down to a seemingly tiny pool of water was the most nerve-racking thing ever. My hands went white, and I couldn't let go of the metal side rail. After some time of this, my mind was still chucking a hissy fit at my body for it's frozen state..
I was going first - it was my birthday after all. Suddenly I seemed to go crazy, I actually WANTED to jump of the edge, and I wanted to do it NOW. I couldn't put my harness on fast enought. The guy before me was on his second jump, and he decieded to do the 'elevator' a much scarier jump which it like a pin drop until the elastic picks up the slack and flicks you around. I expected the bungy guys to explain to me (a completely nervous beginner) how to jump off properly, but no such luck. After the jokes of "oh is this your first time bungy jumping? Yea it's my first time tying leg straps by myself too." etc, I was told to stand on the edge. Now it's extremely hard to walk with your ankles bound, and even harder when its toward a 50m drop, but in all my eagerness I started to hop. Yes hop. Until someone noticed before I went over the edge and told me how to 'wiggle' forward properly.
Once I was standing on the platform, I had an amazing feeling of complete terror and extreme excitement. Even the tree tops were below me. Ok so some family friends that had done this said that they push you off at the count of 3 (these are the same people that told me the 'Scooby Doo' ride at Movie world doesn't have a roller-coaster in it) but as I was standing on the platform I was in no state to question them, so as the guy started to count, I (rather tricking myself into the ingrain feeling of doing something at 3) avoided the build up of 1...2...3! By jumping at 2! I didn't fall forward as I later learned you were ment to, I hopped off the platform feet first - unknowingly into the 'elevator' jump.
I started to cry with joy and relief and god knows what else at the thought that I actually overcome my fear. I got a good case of the shakes (very rare for me) because I was so overcome with emotion. An amazing feeling - overcoming your fear. Mind I still don't like heights, but now I know what it's like to jump/fall off it doesn't scare me quite so much.
