Have you ever taken a leap of faith? When your heart is racing, your hands are shaking, and your legs are trembling, did you give up? Or did you take the leap?

Last summer vacation, I went to Sanya in Hainan, China to get a taste of the tropical weather. When my dad told me one of the items on the itinerary would be the highest water slide in Asia, I asked my dad repeatedly whether I could stay at home. But my dad insisted that I would love it and we should go together.

Three days later, I was standing in front of that water slide in Atlantics Water Park. The slide was located in a building that looks like an ancient temple. I looked up at the tens of thousands of stairs leading to the peak of the temple. The clouds were floating around the top of the slide. I thought to myself, “If I fall from that place, I will definitely die.”

As we started climbing the stairs, I saw three words on the temple wall, Leap of Faith. I had never heard of these words, and at that time they reminded me of Road to Death. Five meters, ten meters, I looked down and thought, “I am gonna die today.” Fifteen meters, twenty meters, I thought about the many things I haven’t done and asked my dad whether I had life insurance. Twenty-five, thirty meters, and we are finally at the top, ready to jump into the slide. I looked at the three people next to me and thought, “These are the last three people I will see in my life.”

Suddenly, the teenage boy ahead of me stopped in front of the slide and turned around, “Look down there, if we fall into the shark tank we will be eaten by those hungry sharks.” We all paused and looked down at the dark, scary water beneath us. Just then, a younger boy next to me said, “Excuse me, if you don’t wanna go now, I will go first.” Then he walked past the teenage boy and me and jumped into the slide, disappearing in an instant.

My father said to me jokingly, “Look, that boy is not even half of your height. Come on, Selina. You can do it.” The teenager turned and stared at me too, “Now, you go first.”

“Fine…” I closed my eyes, crossed my legs, wrapped my arms around myself, and took that leap of faith. It took me only three seconds to get to the bottom of the slide. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a tunnel under the shark tank. The sharks were swimming around me, the sunlight was shimmering on the blue water, a beautiful scene beyond description.

A moment later, my father came down, then another girl. We waited a while but still did not see that teenage boy.

That day in Sanya, I learned that there will always be people in your life telling you “It’s too risky.” Just keep going. If you surround yourself with people who love and support you in your endeavor, it will feel a lot easier. I also learned that everything we want could be on the other side of fear, and in a moment like this I’d better take a leap of faith.