Face your fears: I went parasailing!

Tan-Tar-A resort

This week Ray and I went away alone for four days to Osage Beach, MO (Lake of the Ozarks) for his work conference. We had a great time in the air conditioned hotel room, relaxing, eating out Mexican or ordering room service, and spending some much needed time together. 

The Tan-Tar-A resort offers a variety of activities to do while there:  swimming in the pools or lake, having a nice soak in the jacuzzi, riding a wave runner on the lake, horseback riding on a trail, being pampered with a massage or facial in the salon, playing putt putt golf, and much more. The best part of all was that Ray’s work covered the expense of the hotel, gas,and his meals!  🙂

I was able to pray for more direction from God while there, read, sleep in, shop, and just get away from the routine of dishes, laundry, and my work. I wanted to ride a wave runner but Ray thought I should go parasailing, something I did NOT want to do.

Ray has gone parasailing before and loved it.  Of course, working in the emergency field as a paramedic, firefighter, and policeman for over 25 years, he thrives off excitement – emergency workers are what some call “adrenaline junkies.”  People who work in the emergency fields often don’t feel “normal” without that adrenaline rush. 

He encouraged me to face my fears and said I would have fun, so I went for the first time in my life.  I should have known by the grin on his face as I was walking out the hotel room door NOT to believe him!   (This rule also applies to him telling you to “Try this” – candy, food, etc.  It will either be incredibly sour and make you want to spit it immediately out, or be so Cajun hot that you are running for water. Ask any number of family or friends, who he loves to see choking with watered eyes, while he is laughing hard!)

But he’s my husband, so I thought I should listen to him!  When I told the clerk at the marine desk that I was nervous and it was my first time, the captain who was nearby joked, “Oh, that’s ok.  It’s our first time doing this, too.”  🙂  There was a boatful of first-timers, all of them teenagers.  They went before me and they all loved it!  This was reassuring as I was hooked on by the co-captain.

Have you ever been in a situation that you couldn’t get out of and it was a little too late?

As soon as the co-captain had me lifted high up in the air, I began to literally PANIC.  It was not the height that scared me, but that I was unable to physically hold onto the little black straps with my hands (see black straps in beginning of video below).  I didn’t have the physical strength in my hands and forearms to keep holding on.  Ok, ok, I need to start seriously PUMPING IRON!  If I let go of the straps, I could fall backward and fall OUT from an incredible height!

I was screaming, LET ME DOWN, LET ME DOWN, but nobody on the boat heard me. Instead, everyone in the boat was looking up at me, smiling and waving. People riding by in waverunners and other boats also would look up at me, wave, and smile.  Ray and our oldest daughter Heather thought this part was hilarious, and laughed and laughed. I’m glad I provide comic relief for our family!

I knew there was NOTHING I could do by now, so I just began to pray for peace (and for God to get me back on the boat ALIVE!) and told myself to JUST CALM DOWN! 

I improvised by wrapping my elbows and forearms around the black hand straps to hold on, and was finally able to look around and SEE the gorgeous view. Don’t let your fears keep you from seeing the beauty all around you!  Anyway, what else was there to do up there? (besides panic and wonder how I could get Ray back, lol!)

I’d told the captain that I wanted to be dipped “just a little” coming back down, so I got my feet wet. The “dip” is supposed to be the funnest part of the ride.  (I thought it was fun, probably because I knew it’d be over soon!)

Below are videos of me parasailing – going up high into the air, then the dip in the lake and getting back onto the boat, sharing with everyone how I panicked initially.  Ray said he is very proud of me and that it is an accomplishment. I will probably never parasail again, but I did overcome my fear.  I went parasailing!  🙂

What fears do you need to face today?  What risks do you need to take?  God will be your help and your peace, and you will be more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8: 38)

Vlog of me just before parasailing

Vlog of me parasailing – apparently the co-captain got bored at times and would turn my Flip recorder sideways!

Vlog of me getting my feet dipped in water

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