Costa Rica...More Stories!

I am going to tell you a story about how this shy and anti risk-taking girl, me, learned to take risks and overcome the fear of trying new things.

So like I said I, up until this trip, refused to take risks. I am still terrified of the idea of change, but I have learned to work through my fear and take the risk!

I am not a swimmer, in fact I can't stay afloat for long, maybe I should take some lessons from my little brother who is a competitive swimmer:) Besides this I am not necessarily afraid of heights, but I would not say that I enjoy them. So these two things combined equals not happening! Well...I didn't let that stop me.

I knew that if I didn't jump off the rock into the bubbling water at the bottom of the waterfall (no worries it was not that far and we had chaperones that would not let us do anything too risky) I might regret it, but I might not. What I learned though is if I wanted to do it I needed to jump in the moment and not let myself think about it. So I jumped! Yes! I did it!

My next opportunity to take a risk was towards the end of our trip when we had the opportunity to go tubing. When I heard we doing this, there was no way I was going to go. Jumping off a rock into water that wasn't going anywhere was one thing, but tubing down a river full of rapids, rocks, and trees hanging over it was quite another. In my mind it looked like a sure way for me to bash my head against a rock or drown.

Well this time I was lovingly forced to go. Some of the college students on the trip said they would make sure that I came out on the other end just fine. I went, and I actually enjoyed it! (I have never done tubing of any sort before). At the end of the section of river we were on was a small cliff, that was higher than the rock I jumped off before. I was hesitant at first because I knew I could not swim well, but they made sure I would have a tube. I jumped. And no I have never screamed in public like that:)

I loved the exhilaration I received from taking risks and I am now less afraid of change and doing new and different things! I will continue telling stories from Costa Rica over the next couple weeks so stay tuned!

Go conquer some fears. The only way to get rid of a fear is to conquer it, and the only way to conquer fear is to face it head on like I did.

Sarah