I was hiking with some friends and a valuable lesson was learnt along the way. Something I knew theoretically but putting it into practice was a bit of a wake up call for me.

The reward for this hike was a waterfall that we all got to see and enjoy but when we arrived one person was told that they can climb up and get behind the waterfall. This is what fascinated me, he didn’t even hesitate, he just went for it, climbed up the side of this waterfall and we all watched him enjoy the top. I was so tempted to go up, but i was worried about coming back down. The others were relaxing watching him with growing curiosity because we also wanted to see the view from up there.

Eventually after listening to me contemplate going up everyone decided to do it and going against my better judgement or my cautious approach I just did it. The top was breathtaking, worth every moment, even the fear of climbing down disappeared for just a moment, until it was that time.

The fear was greater than the climb down, it was actually easy and I spent all that time being fearful instead of embracing the moment and just doing what I wanted to in the first place.

My goal is to be like the person that didn’t hesitate and climbed because he knew what he wanted and didn’t really need the motivation or agreement of other people to see what he wanted to see. That is how you are meant to live, fearless, free and true to yourself. I’m grateful that I got to have that experience, even though I wasn’t brave enough to just go for it at first, I was brave enough in the end. It has awakened something in me that I used to know as a young person, a sense of adventure that I used to enjoy and lost somewhere along the way.

It’s amazing how timing plays an important part, because if this came at another time I would have made every excuse not to be there. My couch would have been my first choice, but after spending so much time quarantining, the couch has lost its appeal and nature seems to be so much more attractive once again. It’s even got me waking up to watch the sunrise and looking forward to absorbing the energy that comes with being awake at twilight.

I once looked at people who woke up early as crazy, because I was warm in my house, but my perspective has definitely changed. I see the positives now and they really do outweigh the negative. It’s the perfect time to have a shift in perspective and I’m really grateful to the people that are supporting me and pushing me through.

Live your life full of adventure and whenever you can get into nature, take the opportunity. The reward is so much greater that the risk.

Tammy