That's the path of shame,
He said,
Chuckling and pointing to the dirt path that sloped
down and disappeared into the woods.
I had two choices to make my way across the canyon.
I could either step out onto the six-inch wide plank suspended a hundred feet in the
nearby cables,
Or I could walk down the dirt path below me,
The otherwise known path of
shame.
I carefully placed my right foot on the board,
Shifted my weight onto it to first test its
sturdiness and my own balance,
And then placed my left foot in front of my right.
Hi there,
Debra Gettis here,
And as always,
I welcome your thoughts,
Comments,
And questions
so please feel free to share them with me because I do reply.
So here I am.
I stood there for a moment,
Kind of taking it all in.
The incredible view from that height seemed like I could see forever,
And what I was about
to undertake,
I was about to walk across a very steep canyon on a six-inch wide board
suspended over a hundred feet in the air.
The board wobbled with each step I took.
It swayed in the wind with just like the slightest of breeze,
It seemed,
And bumped up and down
in response to others who were walking either in front or in back of me at the same time.
I noticed myself becoming hyper-aware of not just my own movements,
But also how the movements
of those around me and the environment impacted my own ability to maintain my focus and balance.
If my foot stepped too far to the edge of the board,
It would tilt the board in that
direction and shift my balance,
Prompting my whole body to counterbalance in response.
Now I admit,
I did have two cables to hang on to as I walked.
My body was connected to the cables and I was wearing a helmet,
Like I don't really
know how much that was going to help if I fell the hundred feet below,
But somehow in
that moment,
All that safety gear melted into the background of my mind and all I knew is
that if I fell,
It was a long way down.
At the start of this adventure,
I had thought that donning a harness and flying across the
canyon on a zipline with nothing except three cables between me and the canyon below would
be the scariest part of the whole trip,
But no,
It wasn't.
No,
It was the five,
Count them,
Five suspension bridges that really tested my mind.
Each one was a little different and they challenged me in different ways.
For example,
One of them alternated between a narrow plank where I had to hunch my body
over into a four foot tall round,
A hundred foot long slatted wood tunnel and then I'd
have to,
You know,
Stand back up onto a plank,
You know,
And each time I,
You know,
Having
to navigate from one to the next,
You know,
Moving and they were each moving independently
of each other and,
And,
And remember there's still that canyon below me.
So what got me through it?
Focus,
Right?
Did I focus on how high up in the air I was or how much it would hurt if I fell?
I,
You know,
I might've thought about it now and then,
But my focus was on the board and
my feet.
Every now and then I looked up to see how far I'd come,
What was ahead of me and my
destination.
You know,
How far did I have to go?
Then I'd return my focus to what was directly in front of me or underneath me.
In a life we often encounter our own suspension bridges,
Right?
And the key is to embrace each step no matter how small with unwavering focus.
Just like I fixated on that narrow plank,
You need to keep your eyes on the actions
that move you forward toward your intentions and goals.
Those cables and safety gear for you.
Those are your,
You know,
The daily practice and rituals that help you to stay centered
and grounded,
Whether for you it's meditation or journaling or moments of stillness,
Breathwork,
Whatever it is that supports you.
For that,
It's really about trusting the process,
Acknowledging the distance you've
covered and occasionally looking up to see the bigger picture.
This my friend is how you make it through the tough parts in your life.
Number one,
You focus on the now,
Take one step at a time,
No matter how small,
Focusing
on the actions that propel you forward to let go of the hard stuff,
You know,
Just let
go of the stuff that happens along the way that feels hard.
You can't control it anyway,
And putting your focus there will only paralyze you.
Number three,
Acknowledge your journey.
Every now and then pause to recognize how far you've come.
It's a testament to your strength and it will fuel your motivation to keep moving forward.
Number four,
Review and adjust,
Regularly revisit your plans and goals and intentions
to make sure that you're still on track because our needs and wants vary as we go through
life.
It's a natural part of evolution.
And number five,
Fuel your vision,
Keep your eyes on the ultimate destination to fuel your
connection to your vision and purpose.
Adjust your approach if needed every now and then,
But never surrender to the fear.
And finally,
Remember life is about navigating with intention and purpose.
So my friend,
Face those suspension bridges of life with focus,
Determination,
And the
unwavering belief that you will reach the other side.
Adjust your approach,
Shift direction if necessary,
But never,
Ever give up on your vision.
I'd love to hear your questions or comments.
What did you find to be the most helpful here or the most inspiring for you?
It's always so much more fun to interact with you here.
Thank you so much for being here with me.
I hope to talk to you again soon.
Bye for now.
