#DarlyFacesFears Part 1: Allie Faces Water!

The event that prompted this overcoming of fears is still painful to think about. It involved an intense conversation with a friend that ended in tears (me) and anger (him). And on the surface at least, it all revolved around one thing: rafting.

He didn’t want excuses, but let me tell you, when water has betrayed me multiple times (Motion sickness! Puking! Misery! And panic attacks about open water!) the idea of getting on a raft and floating down a swaying river for three hours sounds like my own personal hell. I think excuses are okay, especially when they are rooted in real experience. But like any excuse, they are there to acknowledge, validate, and move through. Sometimes I forget that and get comfortable in those excuses.

I went on the trip to Moab but still would not fully commit to rafting. Morning of, I woke up at 4:30am to get a long run in with a friend (thanks Mikala!). I ate breakfast, and I pulled aside one of the coordinators of the trip. I asked him if there was still an extra spot for the rafting trip, and how long did I have to decide. He said yes, and I have until the cars were leaving to decide, but no big deal either way. He then kindly answered my last couple of questions and calmed some lingering fears about rapids (thanks, Brad!).

And somehow, between the pain from the fight, the acknowledgement of and exhaustion from merely being afraid of things in my life (fear is tiring), and gentle reassurance from a couple friends, it clicked. I was going to do this. I was going to raft this river, and I was going to (most likely) have a really fun time doing it.

I changed into my swimsuit and jumped in my friends car. We got to Moab Adventure Center, were fitted for life vests, and got in busses to go to the starting point. The bus ride was about 40+ minutes long. I did have some nervous laughs in the car, and at one point turned to another friend, told him I was a little nervous looking at the river below from this vantage point, and he looked me in the eye and told me, sincerely, exactly what I needed to hear (thanks, Jason!). (I will say, I told him beforehand exactly what to tell me if I started getting anxious. It worked!).

And then we were on the rafts and you guys… I had SO much fun. There were only a few rapids, which the guides informed us about both before we got on the rafts, and before we hit each one. They told us techniques for the river itself and the rapids when we got there. And the rapids? No. Big. Deal. (Okay, one made both me and my friend Haley a little bit nervous, as shown by her screaming and me frantically saying “HALEY HALEY HALEY,” but again, brief! And as I recall, we were laughing at the same time.)

At points (when the guides indicated that the water was deep enough and safe) I jumped out of the raft and swam. I played with friends. We just had a really great time.

And as soon as we got out, we went straight for hamburgers down the street. So, I’m pretty content with the whole day ;)

How I Prepared: The week before, during that really crummy friend fight, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it in the moment and not have to wait a week to go to Moab to go rafting. A gal pal and I went kayaking down a local, pretty calm river that evening and had a lot of fun. I hadn’t been on the water much at all this summer, so it was nice to remind myself that I can be okay. That helped ease some of the anxiety.

Additionally, Dramamine. Enough said.

And as you can tell, good friends who love me and support me, and have my back. Aside from the friends I mentioned specifically up there, I also had encouragement from Deon, Kristina and her husband, the Groesbecks, and many more friends who came on the trip. I’m sure grateful! I needed to feel safe, and they helped a lot with that.

Fear #1— CHECK!

What fears are you going to conquer? Big or small. One or two or more! Do them, then show us on Instagram by tagging #DarlyFacesFears! Post must be from August-September 2017. We’ll feature posts on the Darlyblog, and one lucky winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to Darlybird!

BONUS: Want to conquer your fear of water, or just get out on the water before it freezes over? Local Utah folks, get 10% off at Green Adventure Sports from now through Labor Day Weekend (Monday, September 4) by mentioning Darlybird when you make your reservation! Reservations can be made over phone or text. Visit their website and plan your next adventure now!

Love, Allie