For as long as I can remember, I have been afraid of heights. I used to freak out on balconies and freeze up at the top of tall buildings. Over the course of many summers as a kid, I learned how to conquer that fear with the help of a dear friend and mentor.
From ages 9-19, I spent my summers at camp Awosting for boys. I can confidently say, without a doubt in my mind, that it is my favorite place in the world. So many people there have had huge impacts on the person I am today.
My first year there, I was afraid of just about everything, especially the ropes course. I would mostly go to activities and read one of my books quietly. One week, a ropes counselor named Ben was assigned to my lunch table. Over the next couple of days, Ben convinced me to come to ropes as an elective, if not to climb then to do some of the low ropes activities.
Over the course of that summer, I got more comfortable with Ben and the ropes team, and after much encouragement, agreed to try climbing the tower. I was terrified, but I also really enjoyed it. Over the next seven summers, I spent a lot of time climbing, learning, and making close friends out of the ropes counselors and my fellow climbers. With the help of Ben and the ropes team (the strikingly wise gentlemen shown above), I learned that my fear was never really going to go away, and that’s exactly why I should never let it stop me from doing the things that I enjoy.
Once I was old enough, I became a ropes counselor. I spent every day working alongside Ben and the rest of the ropes team to manage the course, ensuring that the equipment was always to standard so that there would be no reason for campers to be afraid. As a counselor, I made a point to seek out the quieter kids and encourage them to face their fears, so they could see the great things that come out of it.
One summer, Ben made bracelets out of pieces of old and new climbing rope for the whole ropes team to wear. I am no longer a counselor at Awosting, but I still wear the bracelet to this day to remind myself of the truly amazing memories that can come about as the result of not letting fear stop me.
