Everyone has something they're afraid of, right? One might say a fear. And at this moment in time on April 21st at 3:34 PM, 2021 in Honolulu Hawaii, I was about to face one of my biggest fears, and this is where it all started…

Step by step I could feel and hear my heartbeat: bum, bump, bum, bump. I looked down at my feet; little puddles of water wet my toes. I lost my grip for a second, and my nerves went ballistic. I grabbed on tight to my dad's arm so I didn't smack my face and lose all my teeth on that excruciatingly sharp rock. Yeah, you heard me, sharp rocks.  You're probably asking a lot of questions right now like what did she do or why was she on that rock anyway? Well, my fear was how high up the rock was, and the fact that I was about to jump into that relentless, bottomless pit of blue. The ocean, a very beautiful relentless, bottomless pit of blue, I might add, but still terrifying. I heaved myself upwards onto the platform from where my dad and I jumped. He offered me his hand, and I gratefully and hastily took it so I wouldn't  trip again.

I looked up from where I was standing; the view was absolutely breathtaking. Who would have thought something that magnificent even existed! But what must go up must come down. I looked down, and immediately I wanted to turn around. But I knew I couldn't; I had come so far! However, I wasn't fully convinced yet, so my dad and I unanimously voted and decided he should go first  (by unanimous I mean not really unanimous at all). That was mostly just me voting, but there was no way I was going first, so he went. He stepped up to the plate and started to plug his nose; all of a sudden things started to feel surreal. We had to wait for just the right moment to jump because the waves were getting pretty tempestuous and could wash us deeper into the ocean.

“Now!” He jumped; he actually jumped! As he did he looked like he was having the time of his life. Now it was my turn. I stepped up to the edge, believing in myself that I could do this, that this would probably be one of the most captivating moments I would ever experience. I mean really, this was a once in a lifetime thing during a once in a lifetime trip with the people I love and care about the most. I could do this. So I jumped. It was like time froze, like I was stuck in a freeze frame or in a slow motion video.

I'm jumping, still jumping, BOOM! I hit the water, and the waves crashed into my dad and me. I felt like I was on top of the world, ecstatic! Like I could jump over and over again. We swam back to shore with big smiles on our faces. We did it; we actually did it.

On that day, I learned that if I could build up that much courage inside of me anything is possible. The message I’m trying to convey is we are stronger than we think. Although your fear might not be jumping off a rock into the ocean, everyone has something they are afraid of, and if you build up enough willpower and believe in yourself, you can face anything you put your mind to.

 

 

 

 

-Kaylee A.