I must tell you that I am not comfortable with heights. I usually end up with a turned stomach and a very humble feeling in my ‘‘derrière’’. Yet, when I was about 6 or 7 years old, I learned to move forward past this perceived danger of height with fortitude.
It was in the gym of my school, where we had to climb over a wooden ladder attached to the wall at the highest level that we could bear and then jumping on a mattress. We were paired up for the ascent. I was paired with Marie-Josée, a girl who had no concept of danger.
Then she jumped happily on the scale, I followed her reluctantly to his right praying silently for it to stop at a low level and jump, allowing me to do the same or at least climb a bar before jumping in. When she reached the half of the scale, my silent prayers intensified, " please, stop climb Marie-Josée ! You're going to kill us ! ". Being of a competitive nature, I could not bear that she should show more courage than me and suffer the shame of defeat.
But Marie-Josée has not stopped climbing, not before that her head does not touch the high ceiling of the gym. At this time, all of my classmates were silently watching intensely to see if it would be of the highest bar.
During this time, I had also almost reached the highest bar. Marie-Josée turned around and looked down, realizing suddenly with fear in her eyes that she may be mounted too high to make the leap crucial. It is rapidly lowered to a more comfortable position in the middle, and made his jump safely. At this time, I'm still perched at the top of the scale, unsure, but not wanting to concede my position, now that I'd come up here. My classmates witnesses of my hesitation started chanting my name, to give me the courage to jump.
I assessed yet the eminence of the danger with a lot of fear. Who do I listen to ? The inner voice that told me to get down before you hurt me, or the other part of me that was taken up in the excitement of overcoming my fear and take the leap brave ?
I finally made the leap, feel my heart in my throat and the excitement of doing something new that no other of my classmates dared to try.
When I landed on the mattress safely. I've received a host of heroes. All the classmates, including Marie-Josée, jumping up and down with excitement, congratulating me for my courage or my madness. It was the first time that I felt like a conqueror. Yes, I had conquered my fear and faced the danger with courage.
I did not know it then, but a seed of fortitude was planted in my soul.
What was your first courageous experience like, when you had to display fortitude?
Happy reading and see you at the top!