CrazyGirl Observes Choices

Sometimes life does this crazy thing where it gives you two very noticeable choices; the easy way or the scary way. As I've gotten older, I've started realizing that the easy way doesn't always warrant the results we desire. Sometimes, you have to make the scary choice.
Today, I went out with some friends and we hiked our way to some really neat waterfalls. Now, you need to know a few things for this to make any sense to you, first, these waterfalls are popular because you can jump off of them, second, I am utterly terrified of heights (I literally had a panic attack after trying a ropes course when I was in high school).
Since I was there, I was presented with my two choices. The Easy Way: hang out at the bottom of the falls and cheer on my friends as they all jumped one by one. The Scary Way: Climb to the top, look over the edge, and jump.
Again, remember that I am terrified of heights. I decided that if I was going to jump I needed to do it before I psyched myself out, so I climbed up the little trail to the top, looked over the edge, and panicked. It was SO FAR down. My heart was beating out of my chest and I knew if I didn't go soon, I was going to have to make the walk of shame back down the path I had come up. One of my friends jumped, and I told myself I needed to go next. So, trying not to shake, I stepped up to the rock, and looked down. Cue the panic. Most of me wanted to turn around and run back down the path. In my head, I kept repeating "What am I doing? What was I thinking? I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this." I turned to one of my friends and seriously considered bolting for the path behind her, but she was encouraging and said "Katie, you can do this. You just have to do a countdown," so I took a deep breath and turned back towards the water below while she continued counting.
Her: "3"
My brain: "ARE YOU CRAZY? You can't jump. But if you don't, you have to walk back down the path."
Her: "2"
My brain: "You aren't actually going to jump are you? That's insanity. You'll be fine if you don't jump."
Her: "1"
I took one last deep breath, felt every muscle in my body tighten, and pushed off. Then, suddenly, I was free falling, which is both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. It seemed to take forever to hit the water, but when I finally did, I realized just what I had done. I jumped. I made the scary choice.
Sometimes, in our daily lives, there are choices that are scary, even if you know it's the only way to get the desired result, it's still scary. If you are in a position where the right choice is the scary choice, I want to encourage you to take a deep breath and jump.
Til Next Time,
CrazyGirl