Starting a blog is kind of like getting a new pen-pal.
I don't know who you are, or what your interests are. And you don't know who I am. Once you find out who I am, will you still write back?
Getting a new pen-pal can be a scary thing.
You write your first letter.
"Dear Stranger,
Look how interesting I am.
I am very friendly and cool.
I took boxing for three years and can kick people's butts.
The tattoo on my left arm says, "I'm cul".
What's cool about you?
Write back to me soon and tell me!
Weird person
At first, they write back excitedly,
" dEAR wEIRD pERSON,
I dON'T KNOW HOW YOU GoT MY aDDRESS, BUT lEAVE ME AlONE!!!"
Then, sadly, you never hear from them again.
And you feel like a total loser.
But enough of that. This is a new pen-pal-ship. And maybe this one will last longer than one letter.
And in all seriousness, I'm doing a scary thing by writing to you. Therefore, I thought it would be cool to write about... scary things.
Instead of writing all about myself though, I got stories from other people. I think you might like that.
My question was, "Have you ever done anything that was scary?"
Since I live with my parents, I thought I'd ask them first. My Dad actually had a pretty funny story, while my Mom's was more sober. And because I also have a story from my Aunt and my Grandma, I think I'll send you two separate letters. That way you won't be overwhelmed because the first one is so long.
The first set will be called, Bold and Adventurous, but not Stupid. How do you like that title? It describes a small fraction of the population. A lot of adventurous people are really dumb. Have you noticed that? But anyway, my Dad isn't-
When he was 9, he and his friends rode bikes all over the place. They had a ramp that they could move around the yard at will, and jump over anything they dared.
"I knew better than to do it, cause I knew it wouldn't work..." My Dad's story began, "We had already jumped our bikes over everything in sight." But that wasn't enough; They wanted something more. "The other boys knew I was a little daredevil, so they dared me to jump over the only thing that we hadn't tried yet- the barbed wire fence."
Hey Reader, when I was a kid, I ran into a barbed wire fence and got stuck there. It wasn't fun. Have you ever had dealings with those gnarly things?
Mom had apparently never heard this story before, and she totally freaked out. "Honey, I really don't want to hear this story..." She said. "I already know where it's going."
But Dad, being the person he is, continued.
"Yeah, we got the ramp all lined up next to the fence, and I positioned my bike in front of it. I was ready. I took off flying down the yard toward that rickety ol' ramp and then 'schwoop' I slammed on the brakes.... and slid under the fence."
I wasn't expecting that....
"It scruffed me up real bad." He said, "But not nearly as bad as it would have if I had jumped."
He said he never accepted a dare again. "Anytime someone dared me to do something after that, I told 'em to go jump in the lake!"
I think he's telling the truth too. He marches to the beat of his own drum. I think I get that from him. Like, who in their right mind writes to strangers and tells them about their lives...?
My Aunt Gina is also a little daredevil. Maybe not by your standards, since I obviously don't know who you even are.... Maybe you went bungee jumping off of the Statue of Liberty for all I know... But this is my letter, and I think she’s adventurous.
I asked her the same question I asked Dad, and do you know what she said to me? She said, "Well, I've done scary things, but I wouldn't say it was because I had to..."
My first thought was, what on earth has this woman been doing?
She proceeded to tell me that she loved flying in airplanes, and she loved scary roller coasters, and she even loved para sailing. It all sounded like a lot of fun, except for the airplanes. I, uh, I've never flown before. (I know, to be 23 in 2015 and to have never been in an airplane? That might actually be kinda rare. I don't know- you tell me. I'm terrified of planes though.)
Back to the fun stuff- Have you ever been para sailing? It sounds like a blast! Maybe I'll get to go someday. She said you're in a sort of kite that is tied to the back of a boat, and you sail behind the boat above the ocean. Can you imagine what the view would be like from one of those? (It's probably not suitable for people who are afraid of heights though.)
After the ride, they drop you down into the ocean.
Wait a second, what? I don't want to be in the ocean with the jellies! And the sharks! But, I bet the warm salt water feels amazing.
She loves roller coasters as a whole, but there was one that terrified her. She said it felt like it would dump you out when it went around the curves. Oooh. That would be sickening.
All of this brings me to wonder how adventurous you are. Do you like trying new and scary things? I, as a general rule, like adventure and exploration. One time I went rapelling down a 140 foot cliff! But I think for the time being, I'd rather stay in my quiet front yard and look at the insects in the grass.
What do you like? You'll have to let me know. And I'll send you another letter soon with more stories. I hope you enjoy them.
Here's to launching our new pen-pal-ship! I can't wait to hear all about you.
Your new friend,
Shout out to my friend Rachel for helping me edit this article. Check out her lovely booktube/YouTube channel: BookishAtHeart
Thanks also to my Mom. She doesn't have a channel though. ;)
Nice post! I enjoyed reading it, and some of the things you talked about made me think of things, and since you said you hoped we (the readers) would tell you what we like and our experiences with these things, I think I will. :) I have only flown once in my life, and I was 11 at the time. Or maybe 12. But it was a short flight, just 45 minutes, from Dallas, TX to Little Rock, AR. I sat by the window and thought it was really cool. Now, at 41, I think I would be a lot more scared to fly. But it was a neat experience, and my brother and I sat next to this nice lady who gave us gum. I am, btw, afraid of heights. But I have been adventurous at times. One quick story about that: when I lived in Texas, at the age of 11-12, we had a really cool "rec center" in our neighborhood that my brother and I would go to. They had games you could play (board games you just had to pay a deposit for--25 cents, and when you turned in the game, they gave you your money back), a big gym, and a room for doing gymnastics, which I loved! They also had a pool where you could go swim for 50 cents each. And there was a high dive. I decided to try it, even though I was scared, and I climbed up the ladder, and then I got really scared and had to climb back down. This lady even said her kid who was younger than me wasn't scared. I eventually did jump off the high dive but not on that day. And another time in Texas, when my mom took my brother and me to White Water, there was a ride or 3 rides in one, rather, called the Bermuda Triangle, and one of the rides was called The Black Hole. I didn't want to go on it because it was SO high up to walk. The steps & rail being out in the open scared me. But my mom insisted that my brother and I try it, and finally we did, and I LOVED it! You sat on a tube and went down an enclosed pipe, and it was pitch black, with a few flashing lights now & then and scary music and sounds. It was so much fun, I forgot my fear of heights for a bit and climbed up several more times, just to experience the fun of the ride. :)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your comment! Thank you so much for sharing with me.
DeleteIt also made me realize that I only jumped off the diving board at the pool ONE time. And I hated it. Never did it again. I always watched my friends do it, and I wanted to do it too, but I couldn't swim very well, so I didn't.
The ride you went on sounds like a blast! Wish I could ride it now! Haha.