You Bet I Did!
I consider myself a Type-B person. Laid back. Relaxed. Too cool for school.
In my dreams.
But when I wake up, I am a nervous, anxious, middle-aged lady always trying too hard.
And full of fears.
Among the things I fear (and you can find more here):
Driving fast
Firecrackers (I like fireworks though – but not the kind that are just horrid ear-splitting noise, that you also know will blow someone’s fingers off)
Skiing
Eating weird food – and I define ‘weird’ broadly, like sushi and calamari (and jello – it’s a texture thing)
Dobermans (with good reason)
The part of flying where you hit the ground and scream down the runway
Talking to strangers
Watching my husband (or anyone) use a chainsaw
But when I go on vacation, I find my brain calming down, my nerves unjangling.
And all those billions of little fears falling away.
And I get brave. Really brave.
We just came back from six days in Jamaica.
The last time we vacationed, I did incredibly brave things. Like standing up in a Land Rover and riding a jet-ski. And I had a beer at ten in the morning. And I almost touched a snake.
This time:
Holy Shit!
I rode a horse!
This may be totally unexciting to you, but I only rode a horse once before, and it was not exactly a success for either of us.
But this time was great. I actually had two different horses. The first guy was named Clumsy, which didn’t bode well, but I managed. Clumsy must have sensed my nervousness, and he was not thrilled. He kept cranking his head around and giving me dirty looks. The guide rode over and told me that sometimes Clumsy gets a little ornery, and I should just loosen the reins and let him be boss. I don’t think in general that is very good advice for horsemanship, but I gladly let Clumsy be the boss of me, since I didn’t want to be the meal of him.
And the second horse! Wow! His name was Dark Star. He was energetic but gentle at the same time. And he had a crush on me. I could feel it. We had a swim together.
And that’s not all!
My husband (who can out-worry me under the table any day of the week) and I played Tarzan and Jane. Yes, we swung through the trees in the jungles of Jamaica. Zip-line! We truly did. My husband checked my harness about seven hundred times, and I still wasn’t sure until the very last moment that I could actually step off that platform. But once I did – I knew I was meant to be a swinger. Here’s how much I liked it: I didn’t even care that I was dressed like an idiot.
Literally. A Swinger.
So.
Back to my last post, where I said I wanted to go a clothing-optional beach and avail myself of the option?
So?
Yeah.
(And I may write about it eventually. When I stop blushing.)
- Posted in: Aging ♦ Humor
- Tagged: Bravery, horseback riding, Jamaica, Nude Beaches, vacation, zip-lining
notquiteold 
Sounds like you had a lovely vacation! ~Elle
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Fabulous! Every single minute!
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Tryswinging..a threesome…a young stud….a women…but don’t tell any one
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thanks for the suggestion, but … ummm…no.
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You go, girl.
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I can’t even imagine what’s next!
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how wonderful!
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Everyone NEEDS a vacation after THIS winter. Connecticut was just plain depressing.
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I SO envy you on Dark Star.
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I think I am anatomically fit for horse swimming. A lot less bone-rattling on my girly bones.
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Aw yeah!!! Good for you.
Great pics! Love the happy smile.
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I could not stop laughing riding that horse in the water.
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THat looks like a great holiday! Good for you for being brave and trying out new and scary things.
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I’m not sure what’s next, but I don’t think skydiving is quite in my future.
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Can you hear me clapping? Seems one grows into the feeling of ‘if not now, when?’
Your vacation sounds fabulous. 😀 😀
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Something about vacation brings out the bravery in me. I should do it more often.
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Retirement is a great time to have lots of vacations. 😀 😀 Funny how they help us bust out. 😮
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Horses scare me, so I think you are very brave indeed 🙂
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I am glad to hear I am not the only one. We traveled with our best friends and she had her own horse for years. She’s such a natural… while I was, well, not.
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Good for you for trying things that are out of your comfort zone. Sounds like you had a wonderful time!
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It was fabulous. My husband now wants to buy property there. I reminded him that when it’s your own house, no one makes your bed, does the dishes, or hands you a cocktail.
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If not now, when? Good for you! Going outside our ‘comfort zone’ is absolutely something everyone should do before it’s too late. As someone famous (but I forget who) once said,
“You don’t want to be lying on your death bed regretting all the things you didn’t do.” (or something like that). I’m up for a hot air balloon ride before I’m 65 (I hate heights!)
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I think I could do a hot air balloon. I probably could not eat sushi.
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I’m not into raw fish, either! I tried oysters once and the darn thing got stuck in my throat – it was like trying to swallow a big ball of snot!
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Ha ha! What a description. I’m so glad I am not alone.
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Woot! Woot! The horse swim would be amazing, the zip line not so much even if I had downed a number of beers at 10 AM or earlier…or throughout the evening before. Terrified of anything over 5 feet off the ground. And topless…I am now standing, and raucously applauding this decision.
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I confess: MORE than topless.
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Now I might be blushing a bit myself…;)
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Now that’s a grand adventure. Coool…oh, it was in more ways than one? Cheers for vacations!
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You could call it very warm and breezy.
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Nothing like fresh air after a long winter (giggles)
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Wow! Fun vacation between Dark Star and zip-lining. Makes me want to go to Jamaica. Loved the pictures.
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I would SO recommend it! Ya, mon. (which is what everyone says constantly there)
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Good on you, mate! Like my husband always says, “You never know ’til ya try.”
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My husband is really not much braver than I am. We have always been co-cowards. Now in our later years, we are getting much more daring… but only on vacation, so far.
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Good for Not-You! I share a lot of your fears (except for me it was not King Kong but a giant statue under my bed). I zip-lined in Hawaii, and that first plunge was terrifying, but it got less and less scary until it was exhilarating! Done a bit of skinny-dipping (I dated a nudist for a while–I ought to be blogging about this stuff!), and have received the grumpy-horse stare. How about rock-climbing? Dare ya!
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Maybe rock-climbing. You must blog about the nudist. I am trying to find a way to write about my nude beach experience… it’s a bit tricky to be funny but not crass.
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Since my blog usually includes images, um, no. Need to figure out a workaround.
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Oh my goodness! Look at you! 🙂 I’m so impressed!
I think the zip line was much more impressive than the horseback riding, but both are amazing – AND I’m a little jealous too! I’m glad you had a great time, and tried new things! Adventures can and should be fun!
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Taking the first step off the zipline platform was pretty scary… but the adrenalin rush was amazing.
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I really want to go on a zip line, but I think I would probably need a little “push” to get going 🙂 it looks like it would be SO much fun!
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Love it – good for you!
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Thanks!
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OK, Nancy, challenge taken: “My Brief Nudist Past.” https://wigginswordsandimages.wordpress.com/
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Good for you! I am going to take my own challenge and attempt to write about it too! I expect my post will either be extremely popular, or I’ll lose a lot of followers! Maybe both!
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I am pretty sure you earned all this fun by the winter you just survived! I’m blushing already at the idea of that post …
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Who cares what you were wearing? The Joy in your face lights up both photos — absolutely wonderful!! 🙂 MJ
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You rode a horse? In the WATER? You are definitely brave. I am afraid of all the things you mention, and more. Like, I am terrified of the dentist. And he is a nice dentist. He is so nice that I call him my dentatherapist. Because he knows and acknowledges my fears. BTW, I could NEVER touch a snake. So you have me beat. I have a funny story about snakes that you can read here, if you are so inclined: http://alicewhitmoresblog.com/the-year-of-the-snake/
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Ha! I am also extremely afraid of the dentist. And I finally found a dentists that was gentle and kind, and I began to trust him. Right up to the moment he was arrested for stealing drugs from his patients.
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Hahahahahahaha!
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funny now…. terrifying then.
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amo animais mas cavalo e demais gosto de montaria andar cavalgando no campo recolhendo o gado as ovelhas so eu meu cavalo e meus cachorros coisa boa gente nao tem terapia melhor que isto
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