Edges…

When Michael and I went to Vermont with plans for eloping, it was late October 2004
We called several justices of the peace but no replies 
When we checked into our second hotel (the first being a horror show and another story for another day)
The lady behind the desk suggested we use, Jeff
He’s a master hot air balloonist and also a sixth grade teacher in town, a real nice guy she says
We call, he answered and asked if we’d like to go up the following morning
He has another couple booked and they can be our witnesses, we’d leave before sunrise
He then asked if we’d flown in a hot air balloon before and the answer is absolutely not, because Michael and I are terrified of heights
He laughed a little and said,” is it heights you’re afraid of or the edges?”
Hmm, I didn’t know 
Turns out I’m afraid of both 
The ride up we said our vows and basically it was me with my head inside Michaels sport coat
Face pressed into his chest
I could not look out
Or down
The basket swinging 
The fire shooting out made me feel like my hair was melting 
It was all the fears at once
Then our flight was cut short due to fog
It rolled in fast and thick
The tracker truck lost us
Jeff says “we all need to be on the lookout for power lines and church steeples”
We were high enough to see into Canada
Omg now I know we are going to die
I’m convinced we will be a headline that Peter Jennings will deliver in the nightly news 
And our families will find out that we died getting married without telling anyone
We landed in someone’s backyard around 8am on a Friday and they were on their way to work
Coffee already in travel mugs as they stood on their deck gaping at us 
I literally jumped out and got as far away as I could
The others slowly worked at getting the ballon out of air and flat so it could be packed up 
I’m married at this point and trying not to pass out from panic
We immediately drank too much champagne and called our families 
Thankfully we didn’t make the five o’clock news
When we got our marriage license it lists our place of marriage at 2,700 feet
And that’s when I realized how cool it was
What a story we’d have to tell
That the all consuming fear led into a fantastic next chapter of my life 
So, the next time you are afraid of something 
Ask yourself what you could have on the other side of it 
Is it worth it?
To do it terrified anyway 
I bet it will be
What are the edges you have avoided?
What is something that will make your life better by doing it, even if it is the most frightening thing you can think of?
I say do it
And then drink a lot of champagne when you’re done