gifts

Today was a good day. Two words - cliff jumping. anyone who hasn't done this needs to because it's just awesome with a capital A. My good buddy and photographer extraordinaire David Molnar (www.DavidMolnarPhotography.com) accompanied me and convinced me to even do a bit of rock climbing up the cliffs.



I'm afraid of heights. Plain and simple. But there's a rush that i get whenever i force myself to get over a fear. And i don't mean the rush from jumping 40 feet into deep water. I'm talking about the euphoria i get when i realize that willpower and reason have the power to overcome something that feels wrong but i know is ok.

Most people accept their fears as natural limitations. They think they will always be afraid of heights, or bugs, or this, or that. When you talk to them about their fears, they reasonably agree that if they were to get over said fear, their life would ultimately be more enjoyable. Yet few people actually make the effort. It's almost universally agreed that those fears will always be there and we use that as a cop-out so that we won't have to step outside our comfort zone and try something new.

As we grow up we acquire new skills. Physical skills. Verbal skills. And most importantly, mental skills. For instance, delaying momentary gratification for a much greater reward in the future. A child wants everything NOW. A mature adult understands that saving money now can result in enjoyment at a later date. I believe that knowingly and purposely forcing yourself to get over one of these "natural" fears is a skill we should all acquire. well, i guess "should" is the wrong word to use. It's not like it should be a law or anything. I just would imagine that it would make life better.

Let's say that on Christmas morning i was presented with a huge warehouse full of gifts. But i could only keep the gifts that i could open that day. Wouldn't i want to open as many gifts as possible? The life we have is a gift. In fact, i believe in our lives we have many gifts given to us to enjoy. a beautiful sunset is a great gift. A beautiful day is a gift. Being able to go to a far off place and see the local sights is a gift. A gourmet meal is a gift. Flinging yourself off a rock into water is a gift. Do we NEED these? No. But wouldn't you want to experience as many gifts as you can?