Some one asked me the other day how I was doing on my 50 for 50 List. Good question, I replied. It gave me pause because I hadn't really been keeping track by the numbers. I just know that I have been having a great time during the process. This thought came about on a week where I have been getting the huge message that life is not about the destination but about the journey itself. This gave me pause. I need to look into this further. I decided to go back in time on my blog page and list the adventures I had had. They included everything from getting a tattoo to conquering my fear of heights. That fear was basically conquered yet again with my latest first: Extreme Tubing. What is extreme tubing you ask? One would have to watch the video to completely understand it. Let me let you do that first, and then I will go on to explain my experience.
[embed]http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPN_g7X6iRE[/embed]
Utah Olympic Park is right here in my backyard. It is a wondrous place that played a vital role in the 2001 Winter Olympics. It is the training arena for aerial skiers, bobsledders, ski jumpers and many a youngster who have felt the need to be adventurous. They have alpine slides, rope courses and the latest addiction, extreme tubing.
It was threatening rain the day we decided to do this first. Accompanied by two experienced 10 year old riders, I decided to conquer my fear. By the time we got to the top of the ski jumps (which is what you are sliding down at 55+ mph), it started to full on rain. Great, the course would be even slicker. They started to rush people through the lines once the hail hit. It felt like having to evacuate a plane on the slide onto a runway (I have never had to do this, and hope I never get the experience.). Move, move, move is all I heard. It was probably for the best because had I had to spend any time waiting on top of the hill, I most likely would have chickened out.
Into the tube I was thrown. Onto the slick hill I went at top speed cackling manically the whole way. I came in for a quick landing and realized that everything was intact. Now I had to figure out how to get my big derriere out of the tube itself. Once the mission was accomplished, we rushed into the restrooms to seek shelter from the now lightening. The day was a success. It even included my son's friend calling his dad and starting the conversation with "Guess what, we are still alive.". Just what you want to hear as a parent. Love it.
Now that I am a certified adrenaline junkie, I look forward to the next chance to hurtle my body through time and space at 50+ miles per hour.
Until My Next Adventure,
P.A. Walker
Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones. - Thich Nhat Hanh
P.S. Just in case anyone else is wondering, this first put me at number 47. I have given myself just about another month to complete!! A lofty goal, but the experiences I have had up until this point have motivated me to keep the process moving.
