Two Experiences with One Stone

Over the Fourth of July weekend, my family and I went to Camp Shamineau south of Motley, Minn. What a wonderful experience! So much better than staying at home, maybe barbecuing and watching a fireworks display on that one day.
   Now, during this weekend two friends accompanied us - B's best friend from Tulsa and our former neighbor Bob from

Tulsa. We all stayed in a beautiful cabin. There was not any running water or air conditioning, but there was electricity and windows that we were able to open at night to provide air flow. Camp Shamineau is located in a forest, so it was not overwhelmingly hot. The trees did their job and provided insulation and shade.
   There were two things in particular that I took care of during our adventures at Champ Shamineau. First - canoeing. I had never been canoeing and I did not think I was going to react the way I did. I mean, I know how to swim and I am not afraid of water, but sitting in the middle of a canoe that was rocking back and forth made me nervous. My husband Tony and Bob were doing the rowing. We were moving along just fine, but the wind was a tad strong and I kept reacting to every jiggle. I cannot explain why. I don't know why I was so nervous and I tried to stop it by participating in the rowing. That worked for a short period of time before the nervousness set back in. In the end, I made our canoeing trip short, but both Tony and Bob were understanding.
   Second - I may have lost to the canoe (strange as that may be), but I faced my fear of heights and went ziplining! And that is on my list of things to do. All of us strode up into the

hills amongst the trees and got harnesses strapped to us. Even our 2-year-old son, K. Yes, we sent a 2-year-old ziplining.
   After my harness was strapped to me and the helmet was put on my head, I climbed the stairs to begin my ziplining journey. That was terrifying. Even though I watched everyone who was with me go safely to the other side, I was not convinced of my safety. The person in charge told me, "You got this." as he attached me to the wire. I knew I could not back out. With my heart pounding and hands clenching the rope, I closed my eyes, took a few steps and felt myself lifted off the ground. I then proceeded to zip through the forest . . . and a feeling of safety overtook me. I opened my eyes and saw the view. I

even looked at the ground and felt completely safe. I almost psyched myself out of the experience, but I did it!
   I encourage you to do the same. Maybe that one thing is not as scary as it seems.