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I read a passage last night about someone standing on the edge of a cliff (literally, not in a metaphorical, bigger picture kind of way). They went through their experience of slowly and methodically getting closer to the edge, the tension that dug into their body, their back stiffens. As they moved closer they became hyperaware of their surroundings and their senses heightened. Even closer and their feet refused to move as if encased in cement blocks. Closer and they could almost see themselves tripping over a shoelace that they don’t even have and falling to an almost certain death. Closer yet their legs grew shaky and every ounce of their body told them to stop. They overrode that and took their final step - there they were, standing on the edge. The passage went on to talk about how this process made them feel alive, more alive than they had felt in a long time. For me… I try to just get it over with. I breathe deeply and, as quickly as possible, make my way to the edge. As soon as I have stood there for a self-assessed adequate amount of time I collapse backwards and scoot to safety in a crab-like fashion that a much younger version of myself never imagined would come in so helpful. This process does not make me feel alive at all! Standing on the edge absolutely terrifies me - so I try to do it often. Its been years of unsuccessfully trying to overcome this fear, instead I learned to live with it. I hold my fear’s hand and welcome its presence in my adventures- try my best to know when I need to listen and when its safe to do my best to tune it out. As per usual I don’t really know what my point is with this. Maybe it is about fear or assumptions or the illusions of social media. Maybe it is that we are all human. Maybe is just an observation on how differently people can approach and experience a shared event. Or maybe it is simply under-caffeinated ramblings on a Saturday morning.
I’ve spent the last couple days in New Mexico with @beautifuldestinations capturing some incredible stories of people throughout the state. Yesterday morning we made a short detour to one of the most unique places I’ve ever visited. Arriving in the middle of the night, all we could see was the dark silhouette of Shiprock but as the sun started to rise this is what greeted us ⛰ #beautifuldestinations #BDteam #UnitedStories