PARASAILING

While on the boat to the Green Island in the Great Barrier Reef they came around trying to get people to go parasailing. Kev has done this before in Hawaii with his friend Kevin and loved it. I have had no desire before to try it because I am a bit afraid of heights. However, Madi wanted to do it so badly. I told her that I would do it with her. I figured you actually got to sit in a seat it couldn't be so bad. Madi wasn't old enough, but they checked and she is tall so they said she would be okay.

When our designated time to go came Madi was bounding down the pier to get to the boat. She was so excited. Kev was off scuba diving so he wasn't around and G&G took the other kids and watched them while I was gone. It was stormy but better than it had been just an hour before.

As soon as we got on the seat and started going into the air I began to wonder what I was doing up there. I was gripping onto the chair so tightly my knuckles turned white. I was holding Madi's hand as well, but tried not to hold on too tightly because I didn't want to scare her. She was so excited and kept kicking her feet - which of course made the chair swing a bit. I kept talking to her and tried to sound calm. I think it helped that I had to remain calm for Madi's sake. I was scared to death at moments.

I tried really hard not to look down at the boat. As long as I looked towards the horizon and saw the ocean and the island and the reef it was fine, but if I looked down I got a bit scared. They had told us before we went out that we might see a whale so I was searching for a whale - no such luck. That would have been cool though. It was windy and rainy when we got up in the air and the chair we were sitting in would jerk sometimes with the wind. That freaked Madi out too so it wasn't just me. Every once in a while we would lean forward a bit in the chair and I kept wondering what I would do if we plummeted into the sea. Yes, we did have life vests on. Of course we never leaned that far forward.

We only got this one picture and we had to buy it. I figured we should have something to remember the Madi and mommy moment!

All in all it was a fine experience. I am not the type of person who needs a rush to say I have lived. I am perfectly fine with my feet firmly on the ground. I can say I have done it now, but I don't think I will do it again. Of course I have learned to never say never. Kevin, and Madi now, are pretty good at talking me into facing my fears.