“what am I doing?” I said to myself as I sat on the top of a love tree in Lekki Conversation Center in the year 2008. I do not recall the height of this tree and unfortunately, I cannot find an accurate height of this tree on the internet but, this tree was very tall beside a 13 years old girl in a cute top and jeans.
My pastor took I and some children from church on an excursion, it was “children’s day out with the pastor” and we went to Lekki Conversation Center. During the sightseeing, the tour guide decided to ask who would like to climb the love tree. I thought this was a good opportunity to face my fear of heights. I was also excited to climb a tree.
Halfway up the tree I became tired and just wanted to go back down. A fellow tree climber said to me, “you can do this, you are almost at the top and when you get there you get to sit down”. It seemed more logical to climb up the tree and sit, rather than go down and stand as there were no chairs at the bottom. Besides, I really wanted to see the top.
Getting to the top of the tree, my legs began to ache and I began murmuring to myself about why I decided to climb a tree on a lovely Thursday afternoon. Nonetheless, I did it and It was amazing at the top. This encounter was the first time I did something that scared me. I could barely walk the next day but it was worth it and I loved seeing the forest from the top of a tree.
Am I still afraid of heights? YES!!!. But, now I can stand on a balcony without hugging the wall because I am afraid that I might fall off and I have stopped having the thought of a balcony bending when I stand on it.
Moral Lesson
Doing things that scare us does not mean we have to make a drastic change to stop the fear immediately. It can be a gradual change. A little effort as simple as taking a walk or listening to a podcast might go a long way. Whatever you can do to make a positive change for yourself, just do it (Nike)
I hope you enjoy this short article. Have a lovely week.
Cheers!!!
Anike 