A few months ago, I made the decision to do something crazy. Me, klutzy, accident-prone, me…signed up to rappel down a building. WHAT! And once I signed up, I immediately told people via text and Facebook…because then, I couldn’t back out and change my mind. Right!? For the next few months, I posted regularly and raised money to benefit the nonprofit agency I’ve been with for 7 years. As the day grew closer, I did begin to feel slight apprehension, but I watched numerous videos, asked tons of questions, and talked to others who had rappelled before. I decided not to let myself worry too much until the day of the event. Sunday, October 14th came…it was raining and had started to get chilly. At this point, I was looking forward to my descent and hoped for no lightning/major storms! Fortunately, we didn’t have more than sprinkles during our time. My friend Shari rappelled with me. Because she helped me raised money by hosting a leggings fundraiser, I shared the fun and adventure with her!
We made our way up to the top of the AutoZone building in Downtown Memphis. Immediately, we were suited up in tons of safety gear: helmets, gloves, a harness with numerous hooks. We were checked several times for safety. As we waited for our pre-rappel training, we could see the entire river-side skyline, which boasted slightly foggy, but beautiful views of the Mississippi River. Our trainer explained every piece of equipment in detail, and demonstrated how we would rappel. Then, we each had the opportunity to climb up a small ladder and feel a similar sensation to what we would experience minutes later. The trainer commented on my good balance, and while I laughed inwardly, I did make sure to let him know that I’ve recently been doing more yoga- HA! He also complimented my pink hair and sparkle shoes—which I wore intentionally so I could be spotted from the ground 6 stories below!!
After the training, a bouncy, super friendly man took us to the edge where we would rappel. Several individuals hooked us up to the ropes, and we had another safety check. We received detailed instructions on how to get ourselves ‘over the edge’. Those individuals from Over the Edge are INCREDIBLE. I seriously believe they should become therapists—super calming, very friendly, good eye contact, lots of smiling. They are SO good at what they do, and I felt completely confident, safe, and secure under their watch. I got both legs over, and one asked if I had done this before. My response: 'No, I'm just really good at following directions!' (particularly when my safety or my children's safety is involved!) The last instruction was called out to me as I started to make my way down the wall: BREATHE!
We were announced by man DJing the event. And then…the descent began!! Slowly, but surely, over the course of 3 minutes, we climbed down the side of the building. I never looked down, but did glance over at Shari a few times. I could hear our cheering section from below: Tom, my 2 babies, Shari’s husband Dan, her 2 babies, my parents, and my sister Meg. My coworkers were also cheering me on. It was an AMAZING feeling: what an adrenaline rush!! Also…accomplishment, bravery, courage, pride. No fear at that point. Just fun! As we landed, we crouched into squats, and removed our gear. WE DID IT!
Going Over the Edge is an experience I will NEVER forget, and if I get the chance, I will definitely do it again!! A huge thank you to Shari for being my fearless partner in crime, our families who came and supported us, and all of my friends and family who donated to a worthy cause!
We made our way up to the top of the AutoZone building in Downtown Memphis. Immediately, we were suited up in tons of safety gear: helmets, gloves, a harness with numerous hooks. We were checked several times for safety. As we waited for our pre-rappel training, we could see the entire river-side skyline, which boasted slightly foggy, but beautiful views of the Mississippi River. Our trainer explained every piece of equipment in detail, and demonstrated how we would rappel. Then, we each had the opportunity to climb up a small ladder and feel a similar sensation to what we would experience minutes later. The trainer commented on my good balance, and while I laughed inwardly, I did make sure to let him know that I’ve recently been doing more yoga- HA! He also complimented my pink hair and sparkle shoes—which I wore intentionally so I could be spotted from the ground 6 stories below!!
After the training, a bouncy, super friendly man took us to the edge where we would rappel. Several individuals hooked us up to the ropes, and we had another safety check. We received detailed instructions on how to get ourselves ‘over the edge’. Those individuals from Over the Edge are INCREDIBLE. I seriously believe they should become therapists—super calming, very friendly, good eye contact, lots of smiling. They are SO good at what they do, and I felt completely confident, safe, and secure under their watch. I got both legs over, and one asked if I had done this before. My response: 'No, I'm just really good at following directions!' (particularly when my safety or my children's safety is involved!) The last instruction was called out to me as I started to make my way down the wall: BREATHE!
We were announced by man DJing the event. And then…the descent began!! Slowly, but surely, over the course of 3 minutes, we climbed down the side of the building. I never looked down, but did glance over at Shari a few times. I could hear our cheering section from below: Tom, my 2 babies, Shari’s husband Dan, her 2 babies, my parents, and my sister Meg. My coworkers were also cheering me on. It was an AMAZING feeling: what an adrenaline rush!! Also…accomplishment, bravery, courage, pride. No fear at that point. Just fun! As we landed, we crouched into squats, and removed our gear. WE DID IT!
Going Over the Edge is an experience I will NEVER forget, and if I get the chance, I will definitely do it again!! A huge thank you to Shari for being my fearless partner in crime, our families who came and supported us, and all of my friends and family who donated to a worthy cause!
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