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One aspect I often speak about at my presentations is creating a list of experiences that make you feel good! Then at times when you are low, even if you aren’t clinically depressed you will have a list to refer to and can use it as a guide to make you feel good again by indulging in something from that list!

I confess that until today one thing which would NOT have been on MY list would have been climbing high up in trees and generally exerting myself in ‘unnatural ways’! When I was 17 I went on an Outward Bound course and we had an adventure trail to complete. I was doing okay until up in the course in the trees I was faced with crossing a log about 10 foot long with no support either side! Our tutor. Mike, sat at the other end and he was SO patient with me until I finally did it. That was almost 30 years ago and I still have terrified thoughts about it! However, I did do it so it also has motivated me at difficult times in my life when I recalled that experience and thought ‘If I can do that, then I can do this…’

But swinging on ropes in trees has never ever appealed to me before or since. So imagine my reaction to being told I was going to ‘Go Ape’ as a treat! It is described as

The Go Ape Experience

Climb the trees and slide across high wires, crawl through tunnels, cross rope bridges, walk the planks and zip down to the ground!

Go Ape is an award-winning high wire forest adventure course of rope bridges, tarzan swings and zip slides… all set high up in the trees.

http://www.goape.co.uk/ContentArticle.aspx?Id=114

Clive took me into the Dalby forest and we were fitted with harnesses. I admit to being extremely scared! Yet I surprised myself at how soon I did get ‘into the swing’ of it! The climbing bits I found a challenge as exercise and me don’t get together very often. But the pure EXHILARATION of the zip lines were FANTASTIC! Well worth the effort of the climbs, scrambles, stretches, etc.

The forest was covered in a new layer of snow so not only did it look very pretty but the landings were soft too!

I can honestly say that I have added something new to my ‘feel good’ list – a zip wire in a snowy forest!

Thanks Clive for encouraging me to jump – no hands!!!

Elaine

www.hanzak.com