Force yourself down that rabbit hole, Alice! - When I Grow Up

Force yourself down that rabbit hole, Alice! - When I Grow Up So maybe your name isnt Alice. Maybe youre not scared of long falls in dark spaces. Maybe the thought of animate playing cards doesnt creep you out, or you already have friends that you call Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. But maybe your rabbit hole is heights. Or small spaces. Or early mornings. And maybe you woke up today and said What would happen if I became the boss of my rabbit hole, instead of it getting the best of me? And what if you really, truly want to tell your rabbit hole to shove it, but you havent been able to give yourself that final push? What if you made an appointment with that rabbit hole one day, and it was there, waiting for you? And you invested some money in jumping down that hole? Or you were guaranteed in getting something out of that long, dark fall? A few months prior to going on my honeymoon, I booked a helicopter ride for myself and my husband over Volcano National Park in Hawaii. If your rabbit hole isnt heights, then you might be saying Holy crapballs, that sounds awesome! Well, my rabbit hole IS heights, and I was saying Holy crapballs, that sounds awesomely terrifying! But at the same time, I knew it was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I would regret not doing. I mean, its one thing not to go on a stupid upside down roller coaster (which Ive never done). Its another to not have an aerial view of an active volcano! So, I paid a few hundred dollars (yes, thats right I PAID to go down my rabbit hole. I paid a lot!) and tried not to pee my pants for two months. Thankfully the wedding planning kept me busy and my pants stayed dry. The morning of the ride, we checked into the airport and got onto the scale (because they assign you a seat based on your weight, which is not terrifying in the slightest). We went into the viewing/merchandise room where we watched the history of Volcano National Park and, thankfully, not helicopter accidents. I checked my purse into a locker (no loose items allowed except for cameras) and Luke held my hand as we walked toward the tarmac. Our helicopter landed from another tour and, after a nerve-wracking 10 minutes, the gate opened and we walked out. I was told to sit between the pilot and my husband. I felt safe. I felt excited. I felt scared. I felt nervous. I felt like I was on the cusp on something major and amazing. But all of a sudden, I flew into my rabbit hole. I barely even noticed it happened! Helicopters lift right into the air, so there is no scary take-off and no bumpy landing (which was not the case with the 7 person plane we had to take between islands. But thats another post for another day). Our pilot kept us laughing and I kept that smile on my face for the entire 45 minute ride. See? I was right. This was a once in a lifetime experience I would have regretted for the rest of my life. I made an appointment with my rabbit hole, jumped right through, and took the ride of my life. To keep up with this plan of attack, Ive decided to force myself down my Early Morning rabbit hole by scheduling a client at 7a on Wednesdays for the next 3 months. Yes, itll be dark when I get out of bed. Yes, Ill have to put my coffee on a timer. Yes, Im hoping that I dont fall asleep during one of the sessions. But Im looking forward to seeing if, come January, a dark/cold morning wont leave me cowering under the covers. I still wont go on an upside-down roller coaster, though. Oh hell no.