Washed Out To Sea....

Fear is a terrible thing...



Flashback:  St Maarten, summer of Shaun's 7th year.

Judy and I took Mom, Dad, Shaun and a few months old Jennifer on a beach resort vacation.

First Class tickets for Mom, Dad and Shaun..."shrimps" cocktails, crystal, cloth napkins, the works...(they did it right in the old days!)

All great fun and new experiences...with anticipation of 4 full days playing on the beach and in the Caribbean.

We arrived at the resort, leeward side of St Maarten after dark. 

Warm breezes and the gentle Caribbean waves quietly shushing just steps away from our patio door...

...and Shaun deathly afraid, locking the patio doors and not letting anyone out - fully agitated and inconsolable.



Now fear is a terrible thing...

It will try to rob us of wonderful new experiences, it will try to prevent us from truly living a rich life, not like in dollars, but a life filled with happy, memorable adventures.

Fear brings to life the scary "what ifs"...it's bad stuff when it is in control.



My dear Son had just previously heard a story about big waves washing people out to sea...and he was protecting us from a similar fate.  His fear was very real to him at that time...

And the next morning as he viewed the beach firsthand and evaluated the danger, he saw the little 6 inch waves, the warm turquoise blue-green water...and he decided to leave his fear behind on the beach, as he headed out to play in the sea. 




Now fear is a terrible thing...

To overcome fear, one has to decide for themselves if they are going to hold onto the fear, to be controlled by fear...or leave it behind on the beach...



Fast forward to present:  I had the fear...

After all, everyone knows skiing the Rockies is not like skiing eastern mountains... 

Ski runs in the Rockies are longer than the entire height of eastern mountains... 

And the runs in the Rockies go straight down...l've seen the YouTube videos so it has to be true, "kom-i-kozzi" snowboarders post them all the time... 

And I've really only skied a few times...

And after all, I am 63...old, frail and feeble...

And what if I fall... 

(He said in his head...)





Now fear is a terrible thing...

      And everyone needs to decide...

              A life of fear...or adventure...

                        ???




Let the adventure continue...