Dreams

An interesting question concerning my dreams...I dream about puppies, flowers, and bubbles.  Nothing as interesting as Jackie’s dream!

Jackie!  That was quite an amazing dream! I cannot encourage repelling off a roof in this blog because I am sure if someone reading this tries to repel off a roof and gets hurt, I will somehow get sued.  Don’t ask me how, I don’t know, but these days, you can never be too cautious.  I myself have repelled, and in a controlled, safe, and structured environment, it can be very enjoyable!  Unless you are afraid of heights, like me, and you have to be forced down the mountain by a man in uniform who is larger than yourself.  I would like to rephrase that; I am not afraid of heights; I am afraid of falling from them.  Hence, I avoid them at all costs and sometimes freeze in certain height related situations. 

I have a rather fond memory of repelling down a mountain side while conducting training at West Point.  The hike up the mountain with a heavy rucksack was quite fulfilling, if you like walking through the woods with fifty of your best friends and six people you wish would have stayed home that day.  We spent the morning learning about knots and wondering why we walked so far.  Rope is more portable than fifty cadets and I am pretty sure we carried this rope up here.  As lunch was winding down and we were getting ready to head down the mountain, we slowly realized the cadre had different plans as trucks with Soldiers and more rope arrived on scene.  The new arrivals were Soldiers from the 101^st Airborne Division, here to teach us how to repel.  We tied more knots and eventually found ourselves in uncomfortable “seats” made of rope.  These seats would be the only thing holding us from falling down the mountainside in just a short time. 

A strapping young E7 calls my name and I walk to my doom.  He checks my knots and connects me to a rope tied to a nearby tree.  The other end of the rope hangs down the cliff side and I am told there is someone holding the other end as a safety.  He walks me to the edge, tells me to turn around and make an “L”.  An “L” is when your body makes an L shape with your feet on the mountainside, legs perpendicular to the mountain, and your bum as far away from the mountain as possible.  To make this shape, I had to shimmy a little bit off the ledge and therefore made the mistake of looking down.  I froze.  I started to shake, first my legs and continuing to my arms.  I stared at this E7 with a look that said, “Please don’t kill me.”  He somehow got me in an “L” and told me to let go of the rope.  I didn’t have words for him; I just stared at him like he was psychotic and deserved to be locked up.  He managed to pry my hands off the rope to show me that the guy on the ground was my safety and would not let me fall.  It didn’t work.  I was frozen, hands off the rope, shaking, and praying the guy on the ground could handle my weight for just a little bit longer. 

This is not my first time repelling.  I know the deal.  I have never had a problem with it before and didn’t expect to have a problem with it on this day.  Previously, I was young, had the fear of a Drill Sergeant behind me, and knew not to look down.  The option of not looking down was very realistic.  You crawled backwards towards the edge of the tower, dangled your legs over the edge until you found the ledge, and then made an “L” shape while staring deeply into the eyes of your Drill Sergeant.  Ok, maybe not staring into his eyes, but in that general direction.  Anything to distract you from the fact that you were dangling by a rope a couple hundred feet off the ground was welcomed.

I don’t remember how, but I made it to the bottom.  Still shaking on the ground and finally disconnected from the rope, I looked up.  The E7 was waving and asked if I wanted to do it again.  I laughed and replied, “Only if I have to Sergeant.”