Thrill Seekers Unite!

Are you a thrill seeker? Does it seem out of character for you? 

I would, on a daily basis, consider myself a cautious person. I do not usually go searching for trouble…but I do love a good heart thumping thrill. Even though I have a lot of ‘phobia’s’, I take those in stride and do not hide away from an adventure, even if it scares the hell out of me. 

There are people who say "I don't like closed in/small spaces"....and then there is me who literally hyperventilates when I feel closed in (I know I am not the only one...)....and that can be a problem if I WANT to explore small spaces. For example, caves. We have gone to the ice caves several times over the years, it is always beautiful yet nerve wracking. hahaha While I enjoy exploring them, I am careful not to be in the middle of a group of people, I need to be at the beginning or at the ending...wherever it is easiest to get out. 

Another one is heights, I have always wanted to sky dive....but since I have a fear of heights, that makes it very difficult to fulfil that dream. Once we were at a Six Flags amusement park, and they had a sky diving type ride (you were dropped and then swung from a pole really high up, kinda like flying....) I worked up the courage to actually stand in line to go on this ride. I was super proud of myself, my heart was thumping long before I even reached the kiosk. I wish I could say that I went through with it and it was amazing....but I will never know, I was about 3 people away from my turn and the ride was closed down. Huge letdown...but still seeking the thrill was a thrill in itself, and maybe someday I can get back and try again. 

I love roller coasters, the bigger the better. When we were at the Six Flags, I rode the Superman roller coaster many times, there was this huge hill and then a sharp drop, the feeling of weightlessness was insane. It felt like we were flying for a few seconds. And while the thrill of the coaster itself is fun, I do have the added "Is this going to break down while I am on it?" feeling too. This is a valid concern considering one roller coaster closed indefinitely due to someone falling out the day before.  Even the Superman ride broke down and we watched a rescue team help people one at a time climb down a narrow steel girder from the top of the highest hill where it broke down. 

 


As a teen, I remember going to the Billinch, they had a pirate ship ride, you sat on one side and it swung back and forth...going higher and higher while you held on for dear life. There was a story of a girl who came out of her seat and fell. Now, maybe it was just a story to scare teenagers....but I will tell you I remember very clearly once I was on that ride and I did, in fact, start to slip out of my seat, the person who was with me grabbed my pants and sat me back down, I don't think I ever let go of the handle bar in front of me again. hahahaha 

What other things do I find thrilling? Last summer we went on a midnight swim with the kids in the lake. It was amazing, there was not another soul out there, we all jumped in at the same time, we could only see what the moon would let us see. It is so interesting to me, we spend all day swimming in that lake, but once the sun goes down, it adds a thrill that is not there with the sunshine. Same lake, same creatures swimming within...but different perspective from us. 

I enjoy horror movies as well, and while I went through a stage in my 20's and 30's where I would not/could not watch any...I am now back to enjoying them. We watch a lot of super natural ones and only one so far has bothered me....and not bothered me in the sense that I won't watch more, but in the middle of the night I went to the washroom and did not bother turning on the light (which I often do....the bathroom is right beside our bedroom) but my leg brushed the shower curtain and I jumped and almost screamed. hahaha I won't tell you which movie we had watched, but the bathroom was the last place the "bad" character would be hiding. 

I am always up for seeking adventures, trying new things. Which is so odd in comparison from how I picture my daily life to be. In my life, I want peace and comfort....I want familiar surroundings and people I love. I guess maybe I want adventures within those confines most of the time, but at other times I want the true thrill seeking adventures...the "Holy crap! Did I just do that?" kind of adventures. While the daily grind, with it's miniature thrills with those I love and trust, prepare me for the big go-out-on-a-limb type of adventures. 

Who else loves thrills? Do you enjoy getting your heart pumping and your pulse racing? Do you have a desire to go deep sea diving? Or sky diving? What do you do? Do you find and accept the adventures that come along in your daily life or do you actually seek thrills that work with your stage of life?