Conquering Fear a Beautiful Thing to Experience, and Witness

I have had various fears throughout my life. Some of my fears caused anxiety to the point of nausea and some just lingering knots. Like many people, I have worked on my fears in an attempt to conquer them.

Of my two daughters, the oldest, seems to have inherited my knot-tightening stomach. She is 7.

I would love to teach her how to surf. I have this vision of taking her to San Onofre on a day when the waves are small so she can get a few good rides in. She has declined on numerous occasions.

I can see her body tense at the thought.

Last year, when my husband and I asked if she wanted to take ski lessons, I thought there was no way she was going to say yes. Then she surprised us by saying yes but with one condition: She would go if she didn’t need to get on a ski lift.

Well, that worked out great because she was a wee beginner and they rode a conveyor belt called the "magic carpet." Perfect.

This year, when asked if she wanted to go skiing again she said yes, but with the same condition. Trying to push her into trying a ski lift was causing her to become resistant to going at all, so we said OK, magic carpet it was.

My husband took her to Mountain High. She took lessons, she skied, and she had a fantastic time. But the big reveal came when she arrived home and told me she went on a ski lift five times! This is huge, considering the thought of the ski lift made her want to forget the whole thing.

The right instructor can make a big difference.

A snow bunny was born.

I am proud, of course. But I am thrilled to see how proud she is of herself.

I find conquering fears to be truly exhilarating. Now if the weather would just stay nice and warm up long enough to make the drive to San Onofre, maybe she can get her toes wet.