Okay, I know he's such an adrenaline junkie that he makes Evil Kenevil seem like an agoraphobic, but I must admit that I just can't get enough of Nik Wallenda's dangerous stunts. Like most people, I didn't have a clue who he was until, by some fluke, I found myself hooked to the television when he crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope this past fall. He wore a tether during that trek and so there was no real risk involved (other than the shame of failing his dream in front of millions of viewers), but I still couldn't stop watching it. He glided along that slippery tightrope while very audibly praying that God would keep him from falling, and that was so inspiring to me.
I watched his interview on Good Morning America the next day, when he announced that the Grand Canyon was next, and I immediately marked my calendar for the event. When I learned through his Facebook page update a couple of weeks ago that he would be doing so without a tether this time, I was completely blown away. I'm not surprised that he would attempt that after watching him complain about what a drag that thing was during the Niagara Falls adventure, but I couldn't believe that the Discovery Channel would actually allow that. Did they really air a live show of someone crossing the Grand Canyon on a tightrope without a single safety restraint? Seriously? I'm still in shock!
The butterflies really fluttered around my gut in the week before the event, and I had some very intense nightmares about him falling to his death. Even though I (somehow) genuinely believed that he would survive it, my heart hammered in my chest with every step he took, and I practically fainted every time he crouched down to readjust his position. The pre-show did a great job of terrifying everyone about what could happen. The vibrations could build up in the rope and shake it like a trampoline, a sudden gust of wind could knock him out of balance, the optical illusion effect could cause vertigo... There was an endless list of potential dangers.
But none of them were enough to stop him from stepping out on that high wire. A thin wire 1500 feet above the canyon floor that he wobbled 1700 feet across. While wearing jeans, but no safety tether. Wow! The guy inspires me, but at the same time, also reminds me of what a faith wimp I am. As he was quoted as saying just a few days before the event, "Fear is choice, danger is real. You can decide if you're scared of something or not." That's something that I might be learning for a long time. The difference between Nik Wallenda and I is simple: far too often, I do let the what-ifs make my choices for me. I can't help but wonder what I've missed out on as the result.
How can I learn to surrender my fears and develop that kind of bravery? I won't be crossing the Grand Canyon on a tightrope anytime soon, but there are other kinds of risks I'd like to be gutsy enough to take in order to embark upon my own personal adventures.
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