Bravery

We spent this weekend in bend with my wife's niece and her boyfriend. It was hot hot hot in the Willamette Valley, where we live, and 90 degree Bend weather was actually cooler. While trying to figure out what we should do, they suggested bungee jumping. This is not something that has ever been on my list of things to do, but hey, everyone else was doing it. As we went through orientation, the owner of the company talked about bravery. He said that even though he has jumped off the bridge we were about to 583 times, it's scary every time. He said that anyone who didn't feel scared jumping off a bridge is lying. To him, jumping off a perfectly good bridge is a mental battle and a metaphor for any other you may be facing in life and that after this, all the things you thought might be scary, like writing a book, or going back to school, actually aren't.

As someone who recently put a book out in to the world, I can honestly say I would rather do that 100 more times than ever jump off a bridge again. While I'm glad I had the experience, I never need it again. I will say that putting a second book out into the world is just as intimidating as the first. What if people don't read it? What if people hate it? What if it's boring? But just like bungee jumping, I'll take a deep breath, count to three, and go for it.