By now, you may have realized that, while I am up for any adventure, there’s a niggling fear within me that I need to release.  Bit by bit, this fear leaves me and I take the plunge into whatever challenge I might be facing.  What exactly gives one person a phobia to the exact thing another might find exhilarating is not within my expert knowledge, but I could take some an educated guess what the factors might be.

However, I don’t believe in always looking for the why of a situation, as often that doesn’t help you in the moment.  So, I take the cliche deep breath and dig for the “how”.  How am I going to handle this leg of the zip line?  This is precisely what happened to me yesterday at JamWest Motorsports & Adventure Park, when my family and I hurled ourselves off the second tower of the zip line tour.  The first line was easy, as the excellent guide was there to push, relinquishing each of us from having to force ourselves off the ledge.  Number 2 was different and, as we were told after, the hardest.  As my boys, niece, husband and the other visitors giggled at my several attempts to just jump and zip on down the line to the third tower, my fear increased.  The longer you take to do something you fear, the more fear there will be.  I had no choice in the matter, as there was no alternate way down to the ground.  My increasing phobia was also affecting my 8 year old, not to mention the 4 year old, who four days previously went into a state of frightful shock as he dangled from a cable like this one.  I had to do it.  I had to jump.  The beauty about this activity is that once you’re zipping along, you feel amazing and you know that you will be fine.  I must admit that it does help to see the second guide always awaiting your landing, pulling you safely onto the platform of the next tower.  The professionalism and fun of the zip line crew at JamWest is most comforting.

JamWest is made for thrill-seekers, especially with its locally famous racetrack, where you are able to arrange driving a real race car, but it’s also for those who want to experience something not too scary, like the Safari Tour.  It’s perfect for small children and the grandparents, as an open air van drives you through the property to see the tortoise, snakes, iguanas and their feathered friends.  The very knowledgeable guide might even gently provoke the crocodiles into a friendly tussle!

Meanwhile, the more agile adults in your group may opt to do a most unique activity – horseback riding in the Caribbean Sea.  Guides will lead you down on horses to the beautiful beach of Salmon Point fishing village, where the horses will wallow in the water with you on their backs, taking you deep enough to cool you down and bring about a deep sense of serenity.  It’s difficult to describe exactly how this made me feel, but having taken six leaps of faith off the zip line towers, this is the moment I discovered my peaceful landing. #JamWest #TREMbleinFlipFlops