Living with a fear is hard.  Everybody has a fear, whether it’s a fear of heights, spiders, clowns, etc. Anyone can learn to overcome those fears though. No matter how hard it can be, you can do it. It wasn’t very long ago that I faced my own fear.
It was this last summer, before ninth grade. My family and I loaded up the car and took off. We were headed to a swimming hole in Clarksville to have a family day. The swimming hole is called the Narrows. This is because it is a very narrow like creek with big bluffs on one side where you can go sit and have a good time. We got there and crossed the creek to get to the place you can actually swim. After about an hour of waiting the rest of the family showed up. That was when the fun began.
My cousin Trent and I were out exploring the bluffs while everyone else was swimming when we found a trail. Just a trail leading to nowhere it looked like. I ask Trent if he wants to go up and he agrees but suggest that we ask first. So we go back and ask our parents if we could go up this random trail. They tell us we can but someone has to come with us so my aunt Crystal came up with us. When we got to the top we found a road, and the top of the bluffs where you could jump down into the creek. The top was probably about 65 to 70 feet above the water.
We rush back down and tell everyone where the trail led to. Then Trent has the great idea to ask if we can go jump from it. They all agree but my mom says we need to go out in the water and find the best spot to jump into so we don’t land on any rocks. After finding the deepest spot in the creek we go back up the trail and get ready to jump. We both agreed that we needed to jump in straight up and down like a pencil so it didn’t hurt when we hit. When we get back to the top though, there are other people there. The girl there goes first. She doesn’t jump like a pencil and lands on her back, which causes her to slip a disk  (which we found out later after she went to the hospital.) Then the guy with her goes. Then it’s our turn.
As I’m standing there working up the courage, I get the chance to look down to the bottom. It feels like I’m in an airplane soaring high above the sky. I know it isn’t that high in reality but having a fear of heights takes a toll on you. I’m almost having a panic attack. Trent said to imagine I was on the ferris wheel and it was going a little bit faster than normal, and going straight down instead of in a circle.
I finally get the courage to get to the ledge. I look out at my parents sitting on the other side of the creek. Everybody waves at me, yelling shouts of encouragement. I look down to find the spot I need to jump. I spot it and look back at Trent. He gives me a thumbs up, then nudges me forwards a little. Finally I take a deep breath and jump.
Plummeting down, down, down into the deep, darkness of that crystal clear, blue water, I imagine hitting the water as a searing pain rushing through my body. But as I hit the top I just feel a tingling in the bottom of my feet, as though someone is tickling me. I sink down, maybe 40 feet into the water, fighting to keep my eyes closed so I don’t look into the darkness.
I flail my arms like a giant bird beginning to fly, trying to get back to the surface. I feel like I’m under the water for many, many hours. I finally break the surface. Gasping for air I hear the cheers of my family. Then I hear the sound of Trent hitting the water after jumping. Then he breaks the surface, coming back up out of the water. While laughing with excitement we swim back to the shore. Climbing back out of the water, we are exuberant.
Feeling the rush of facing my fears is enough to make me cry tears of joy. I still have a fear of heights but it’s not as bad. Many people with a fear cannot face them, some people are brave enough though. With just a small pinch of courage you could conquer your fear.