Sitting on the edge of the cliff
One small step to overcome my fear of a fall
I have always been afraid of a fall. Whether it be falling down in life or falling down from heights. My mother still enjoys mocking my expressions which I made before puking when I tried any ride in local fairs during my childhood. In my whole life span I have been to Essel World five times (FYI Essel World is one the largest amusement park in Asia) and I never tried the scariest rides like Thunder and Rainbow. Instead I preferred having a Candy Floss from a nearby stall whilst staring at my friends screaming from their lungs. Fear of falling was one the reasons why I never tried new things in childhood, more specifically in adolescence.
But over the few years I have realised that the best way to overcome your fear is to face it.
For the last few years, I have been constantly pushing myself to new limits to overcome fear of fall. Not more than a year ago, I climbed Kalsubai, the highest peak in Maharashtra. But this time I leapt even further by sitting on the edge of the cliff of a 1000 ft. mountain with my legs loose in the air.
When I was standing on Konkan Kada near Sandhan Valley, I was able to see Eastern border of Konkan. But it was not the reason which fascinated me, it was the cliff on which I was standing. A cliff only exposed by a dried up waterfall and a strong 1000 ft. high Sahyadri wall. I was just unable to gather the courage to look down the cliff. So I slept on the ground in such a way that my face till the neck was facing the bottom of the ground and the rest of my body was behind the edge. But it didn’t help. I felt I was chained to something which was pulling me back. It did not feel like freedom.
And from nowhere I thought of sitting on the edge of the cliff. Only after I backed off three times I just decided I am going to do it. I sat down with folded legs and gradually moved myself forward. Until I realised that one more push would throw me off the cliff, I unfolded my legs. And let me tell you, that feeling was amazing. My whole body was rejuvenated with a sudden rush. It was like adrenaline was flowing through my body. All of my blood started pumping through my veins. My throbbing heart was trying to break out of its rib-cage.A strong current of wind started hitting my face and my mouth went all dry.
That was freedom. Yes it was.
The human body can endure much more than you can imagine. The more you try to run away from your fears all the more it will come back at you to haunt you. You should always push yourself to the extreme because only then can you discover the true you.
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