Ziplining

Simone is scared of heights. Once upon a time, she tried ziplining. It involved climbing up a pole while harnessed to a rope, standing on a teeny tiny platform and launching herself into the air. The fright lasted seemingly forever; the exhilaration mere instants.

So when the opportunity to go ziplining in Cozumel popped up, you'd have thought that Simone might have declined. She didn't. Accompanied by two daring boys, she set out on what she thought would be a huge adventure in the arms of fear. In that expectation, she was sorely disappointed.

She was outfitted into a harness. Simone thanked the Heavens that she had not been born a male. The pressure on a particular apendage must be immense when the harness is tightened properly. Later, after a comical demonstration where the demonstrator did EVERYTHING wrong, Simone and a horde of about 20 people started climbing the stairs. Stairs. Can you believe it? It was a full blown tower with stairs. And ropes along the stairs to hook people to so that there was absolutely no chance of falling. In spite of all these precautions and seeming safety, Simone's heart still thundered dangerously.

Too soon, her turn arrived. Her ears filled with the sound of thumping as all the air seemed to escape from her lungs. Click, click, click went the clamps as they snapped on to the ropes.

"Sit back," said the executioner.

Simone did, reaching behind her with her right hand so her glove could help her stay in a straight line. Fearfully, she pulled down a little too much and jolted her shoulder.

By the 5th jump, Simone had mastered the position. She even managed a little yawn on one of the towers. That, of course, was before she noticed that one of the staff was NOT harnessed to anything as he pushed people off the tower onto the zipline.

"I'm having fun," she repeated like a mantra. "He is not going to... I'm having FUN!!!"