Childhood fears Conquered

This past weekend, my family and I went to Six Flags St. Louis. Since I grew up about an hour and 10 minutes away from it, going back brought back a lot of memories, good and bad.
I knew I wanted to do one thing for sure, going into the park that day. I was going to go on Mr. Freeze, or die trying. For those of you that don't know, Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast is a roller coaster that just like it sounds, blasts off in reverse. You go through everything backwards, including up a steep incline, and then back down again forwards.

Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast
Photo found via Pinterest

When I was a kid, I was terrified to ride it. My friends tried to convince me multiple times on school field trips, because then, it was the "cool, new ride." I would ride just about any ride, but this one. I think it was something about going backwards up 150 ft. in the air, that just seemed to scary at the time. 

Yet, at 18, somehow I was brave enough to try out the Dragon's Wing, which to many, would be much scarier. It was kind of expensive, but I went with one of my best friend's at the time. Today I still consider it worth the extra money I spent. 

Dragon's Wing
Photo courtesy of Six Flags St. Louis

Who knows what drives our fears? I can definitely say that they aren't always rational. But, regardless, we fear what we fear. Lately, I have been trying very hard to conquer my fears, and I'd say so far, it's paid off every time.

I am sure, there are some fears that are rational, which I have no intention of overcoming. I still fear a great many things. But, it's those irrational fears that I can narrow down into the "wimping out" category that I have been parting with. 

So, did I finally do Mr. Freeze? 

Mr. Freeze conquered.

OK, so that's a terrible photo of me. I had been out in the hot sun, had been on water rides and was wearing a shirt that belongs to Reagan (AKA tiny shirt). I maybe didn't end the day looking very attractive, but I conquered my fear. 

Not to mention, I got a sweet Henna tattoo on my shoulder. Reagan, Noah, Logan, Alicia, Boston, James and Maela were all there too, getting to ride most of the rides they wanted for the day as well. We had a blast. Not only did I squash a childhood fear, but I got to spend a day with the best family I could ask for. Life doesn't get much better than that. 

If that's not joy, I don't know what it.