Ever wake up in the middle of the night thinking about something completely out of the blue? Last night, while tossing and turning, I couldn’t stop thinking about a trip my family took when I was a kid.
My dad had a roofing convention in Orlando. He thought it would be fun to also bring my mom sister and I with him. I’m sure he was right that it was fun, but I don’t remember much of the trip. Couldn’t tell you anything about our visit to Disney World. Which shocks me considering that I was one of the biggest Disney fans ever when I was growing up. The thing that sticks out the most to me is what I didn’t do and how it made me feel.
We stayed at a beautiful Marriott resort. My parents gave my sister and I freedom to roam the resort on our own. It was the most freedom we had ever had! We found the endless supply of ice cream almost immediately. Daily ice cream sundaes with cherries on top! Dreams really do come true.
What Orlando resort doesn’t have an amazing pool? This one was curved so there were no hard edges and felt like it went on forever. At one end of the pool was a water slide built into a man made mountain with lush tropical plants decorating it. The slide wasn’t that big, but to my ten year old self, it was big enough to scare me.
To this day, I couldn’t tell you what it was about the slide that scared me. Was it that it was enclosed? Was it because I didn’t like getting splashed in the face? Was it because I wasn’t a confident summer? I have no idea.
But here’s what I do know.
My family very gently encouraged me to go on the slide. They all could see that despite being afraid I really wanted to go on that slide. My face said it all. My mom would gently say, “Why don’t you go with your sister?” or “Are you sure you don’t want to try it?” Each time I said no, as I stared at the slide with both fear and longing.
Yet, I never went on the slide. Not once.
As the bus pulled away from the resort, I looked back at the pool and the slide and instantly regretted not trying it. In my heart, I knew it was going to be more fun than scary. But I let fear stop me. To this day, this is the thing I remember most about the trip. Letting my fear stop me from going on the slide.
As I look back at the day, I realize now that fear can lead you to regret. Yet, it also lets you know how important something is to you at that moment or in your life. If it wasn’t important, you wouldn’t be afraid.
So, what are you NOT doing today because of fear? What is the one thing that you know would enrich your life, but you are afraid?
Climb the stairs to the top of your slide today, say thank you to your fear and enjoy the ride!