Fear is Temporary. Regret is Forever.
On taking a leap of faith
If jumping from a bridge is not exciting enough, add an exotic locale, an elite distinction, and world-class hospitality. It all adds up to a mind-expanding, toe-curling experience of a lifetime and one I highly recommend for anyone seeking to free themselves from fear.
My journey began just days after a midlife birthday sent me on an extraordinary trip to South Africa with a small group of adventurers.
Our bungee jumping excursion was not on the original itinerary. However, once it became available, it sounded intriguing.
And scary.
Initially, my fear won out as I balked at the idea and made lame excuses:
“I’m not feeling that great; I think I’ll hang out today and snap a few pictures. Besides, I’m not sure if jumping from a bridge after breakfast is such a great idea?”
I was fully aware my half-hearted objections were nothing more than fear cloaked in a wet blanket of excuses.
And then it happened.
My friend did something that pushed my buttons and forced me to reconsider.
She DARED me.
How could she have known that I’ve never been able to resist a dare?
— -
As the large van containing our small group of soon to be jumpers careened down the highway toward the excursion sight, our informative driver briefed us on its storied history and impressive stats-
“Bloukrans Bridge at the height of 216 meters (709 feet), is in The Guinness Book of World Records as the highest (commercially operated) bungee jump bridge on earth!”
As he talked, I mentally tried converting meters into feet and feet into football fields for perspective. (I’m not exactly sure why I chose football fields, but I think it’s the length of just over two of them)
A few minutes later, we reached the entrance as the vehicle made its way through the open gate, crunching over loose gravel before coming to an abrupt stop just a few yards from where we were to prep for the jump.
A sensory overload awaited us as we filed out of the van and made our way over…
