Stories Along The Way

Who else is afraid of heights?

I am!

The funny thing is, I wasn’t always this way. When I was younger, I didn’t mind staying on the 20th floor of a hotel. I also loved amusement park rides. I would happily get on them without thinking twice.

But now? I’m afraid.

When I went to San Francisco two years ago, I literally stayed about 45 minutes away just so I could stay in a four-story hotel. The thought of staying in a high-rise made me so nervous that I would rather drive farther every day.

The same thing happened the first time I visited New York. I ended up staying at an Airbnb. I told my family it was because it was cheaper, but the reality was that it was a single-story place.

Then there was Niagara Falls on the Canadian side. I found a beautiful hotel with rooms overlooking the falls. The price was very comparable to the other hotels we were looking at. I could have stayed there and woken up to an incredible view of Niagara Falls.

But I was afraid of how high the room might be.

So instead, we stayed somewhere else, and I missed out on that beautiful view because of my fear.

Why? Why do our minds play tricks on us? Why can we know that we are safe, but our bodies still react as if we aren’t?

When I know I’m on a high floor, I get this awful feeling in my legs and knees. I know there is a floor underneath me. I know I’m not going to fall. Yet somehow, my mind tells my body to be afraid.

About two months ago, I went to Chicago with my son and his dad. There was a hotel called the Wade that had a great deal, with rooms offering city or waterfront views.

This time, I decided to be a little braver.

I asked if they could put us on a floor lower than the 15th story. They ended up giving us the 15th floor.

I was anxious going up in the elevator, but once I got to the room, the view was amazing.

I stood there and admired it. Instead of thinking about how high up I was, I tried to focus on what I could see outside that window.

And you know what?

I was okay.

Maybe our minds sometimes make things scarier than they really are. Maybe getting over a fear doesn’t mean the fear suddenly disappears. Maybe it means slowly proving to ourselves that we can do something even when we’re afraid.

I’m still not volunteering for the 40th floor anytime soon!

But I made it to 15.

How many of you can relate? Have you ever developed a fear as you’ve gotten older that never bothered you when you were younger? And have you ever wondered why our minds can make us so afraid of something we know is probably safe?