And Now for Something Totally Different: Zippedy Do-Dah!

My hubby thinks I'm trying to kill him. You see, several years ago, we started trying some extreme recreation while on vacation.  It began with a hot-air balloon ride one year over Lake Tahoe. Once I realized that my fear of heights was highly exaggerated, I had an epiphany. The adrenaline rush from trying something new and daring was worth every moment of anxiety I conjured up in my imagination. I was hooked.

Having conquered hot-air ballooning, we progressed on to wilder, even more exciting adventures.  We tried white water rafting on the Truckee River. On that particular odyssey, I was the only member of our family to be thrown into the raging river (and, might I add--it was my daughter who rescued me--not hubby.) Then we swam with stingrays and snorkeled in Grand Cayman. Actually we snorkeled there more than once. During the second occasion hubby almost drowned in a stormy sea on a day that no human had any business in the water. That might have been the tipping point--my hubby's enthusiasm for adventure had dampened in direct correlation with his soggy demeanor.

Still, he was a willing participant when we signed up for zip-lining in the rainforest of Jamaica. And what a blast! So much so, that on our most recent trip to Mexico, it took nothing to persuade him to sign on for the same sort of excursion.

But on this trip, as we scrambled our way up to the first platform, we realized the limitations of two geezers who could see "60" at the top of the hill.

"I'm getting too old for this s*%t!" hubby growled, stopping to catch his breath. Each zip was preceded by an ever more strenuous ascent. We started at the front of our fellow zippers. By the fourth platform, we were bringing up the rear. Only sheer determination, the fear of humiliation, and the absence of any other way down kept us moving. Two hours, fourteen platforms and 1500 feet altitude later, we rode the last zipline down to the homebase. I've never felt so whupped! We walked away with a harrowing story to tell and an "I Survived" T-shirt.

The next Sunday I went to church, eager to share my adventure. But before I could even get to coffee fellowship and deliver my tall tale, our pastor shared this video: http://www.noob.us/miscellaneous/kids-ride-a-zip-line-to-go-to-school/.
What my husband and I experienced as a feat comparable to climbing Mt Everest, one family of mini-zippers made look like child's play. Hubby and I had been seriously one-upped. And never again will I complain about the kids who shortcut across our yard on the way to school.

As for next year...wonder how my beloved feels about bungee jumping. Hmm....