Just a quick little video of light and appreciation to the sweet people who take the time to read my blog. Thank you and God bless you!
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My birthday was 2 days ago and I went ziplining through the redwoods. It was such an amazing experience; it’s still hard to even find the words to describe it. I knew that it would be thrilling, but I felt no fear going into it. I’ve never been the least bit afraid of heights, but once we got up to the platform and were expected to do our first zip, I was suddenly terrified! Have you ever been up on a high dive and felt scared to jump? Well multiply that feeling ten times or so, and then you will get an idea of how I was feeling. Instincts took over when I got to the edge of that first platform and looked down. What if the cable broke? I thought about backing out and changing my mind, but I’d gotten up early and drove over 4 hours through snow to get there. Also, it had been on my bucket list for awhile, and I knew I would feel disappointed if I decided to back out. (plus I would lose all the money I paid) All things considered, I took the leap! I was too terrified to look down, and just screamed “WOOHOO!” at the top of my lungs like Homer Simpson! The first platform was up on a big hill, and then from there we were ziplining from tree to tree. It got easier and less scary with every run. In the tallest tree on the course, we were over 200 feet up. There were 6 ziplines of varied lengths on the course, and then we climbed a spiral staircase around the trunk of a redwood to two hanging rope bridges. At the end of the course, we rappelled 50 feet down a redwood tree. A lot of people go there to get over their fears of flying and heights. The experience left me feeling like I could face any fear in life by taking a leap of faith! Actually, it wasn’t even a leap…You’d just sit down, lean forward and off you’d go!
I am a caregiver for an older lady, and she begged me not to go. She was convinced I would fall to my death. Although that was a possibility, all I could think was “What a way to go!” When I finished my adventure, I called her to let her know that I survived. She asked me in an incredulous tone “Why did you want to do that?” At the time, I was so amped up, that all I could think of was “because it’s exciting!” I thought about it more on the way home, and realized that it was about more than just excitement. There is something very satisfying about doing something on your bucket list. When I am laying on my deathbed, I will look back fondly upon days like this where I faced my fears and had unforgettable experiences! Doing it made me feel more excited to be alive! And it also made me wonder: “How will I top this birthday?” Hmmm, we shall see next year when I turn 49! Tonight I made berry jam for my Christmas gift baskets. (From berries I picked in my yard this summer and then froze for later use.) I decided that I would just “wing it” and make up my own jam recipe, because I don’t like using gelatin. Gelatin comes from dead horses! There are many great alternatives to gelatin, like shredded apple, for example. I cooked one shredded apple and the juice of half a lemon in 1 cup of water for about 20 minutes. Then I added 2 cups of sugar and a quart of juice from blackberries and marionberries. It cooked for about 20 minutes before it reached the right temperature. You just need to know the temperature for jelly, which is 220 degrees at sea level. It really helps to have a candy thermometer too. The jelly turned out so yummy! I had a bit leftover for myself, so now I am baking jam thumbprint cookies to take to the post office tomorrow.
Another cool thing I am doing tomorrow is filming 12/12/12 for this world video project: http://www.onedayonearth.org/ There’s still time, if you want to do it too! |
AuthorHi! I'm Marguerite Bryant, but most folks just call me "M." This blog will be a place to share my musings and inspirational ideas. Categories
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January 2016
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