About 6 months ago, two of our dearest DC friends, Troy and Barnette, invited us to join them on a week-long vacation in Mexico. Knowing that by the end of October, the stress of moving and the impending cold weather would almost require a journey south for a little R & R, we gladly accepted. So a week ago, we hopped on a plane and arrived in sunny Cancún at the Royal Sands Resort and Spa.

However, I could wax poetic about the sunrises, the ocean sounds as I drifted off to sleep, and the crystal clear turquoise water that kissed the white sand, but that won’t be what I take away from this trip. No, this trip pushed me in ways I never expected, and am now forever grateful.  (No fear, I’ll be waxing all of that in a later post…)

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I’m not an adventurer, I’m not an adrenaline seeker, this girl prefers to keep her feet planted solidly on the ground. So when I was told that our first adventure in Mexico would include ziplines, I almost didn’t get on the plane. In the company of three bold men, I couldn’t bear the thought of portraying the stereotypical damsel in distress and refusing the activity, so I strapped on my harness at Xplor Adventure Park and up the tower I went. It was about half way up that I made the mistake of looking down, and the tears piled on the brim of my eyelids and I implored Scott through a glassy-eyed look not to make me do it.

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He made me do it. There was a lot of encouraging talk and life coaching on that tower, and as we approached the platform, we spotted couples flying tandem. SOLD!!! If I could jump with Scott, the worst that could happen is that we would plummet to our deaths and we would leave the world together. Pretty bad, but better than plummeting alone.

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But just as we stepped up to be next, the attendant grabbed Scott and briskly said, “No, you fly alone.” Oh, HELL NO.  So there went Scott, and what I thought was my whole life, off that tower. I think it was shock that took over when I stepped up all by myself, and with quivering chin and shaky voice begged the attendant to tell me I wouldn’t die. To his credit, he looked me straight in the eye and told me to trust him.

And off the tower I went.

And then I went off 6 more towers.

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And each time as I left the platform, that glimmer of death faded into the excitement of finally letting go. Letting go of fears that I’ve been holding onto for so long, the anxiety of putting my entire life into someone else’s hands and being disappointed.

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In hindsight, what happened on that first tower is exactly what I needed then, and every day. If I had jumped with Scott, it would never have allowed me the chance to let go on my own. In life, I want him to be my support, my cheerleader, my coach through bad times. But I also needed to know that I have to do the dirty work of jumping on my own and confronting my own fears. He shouldn’t do it for me, and I wouldn’t want him to. Each jump was like a brand new fear that I could face on my own, and by the second day of adventure on our trip, I was more excited than terrified.

But I would be remiss not to mention that Xplor also had us swimming through underground waterways, ziplining in hammocks into water, exploring ancient caves filled with bats, and playing on ATVs in the jungle. Anything an adventurer could want, and though I didn’t arrive with the adventurer gene, I definitely walked away from that park on top of the world.

xplorpark-74 xplorpark-78 xplorpark-82 xplorpark-84xplorpark-55 xplorpark-62 xplorpark-39xplorpark-70Our second day of adventure is another story….Stay tuned….