Zip, Boom, Bang!

Last week, I mentioned a story about a zip-line which would have to be told another time.  Someone asked about the zip-line story.  So, I will share it with you today.

One summer while I was attending Oklahoma Baptist College, I traveled in a singing group.  It was an ensemble made up of six young ladies.  We traveled with various staff members and their families throughout the summer.  At some point during that summer, we were up in Minnesota.  We were travelling with a couple who had four children.  We were in a fifteen passenger van with a luggage trailer behind us; there was plenty of room for everyone.

We arrived at a church early in the afternoon.  We did some exploring and found a zip-line out behind the church.  It was about fifteen feet high with sand underneath it.  Some of the girls were afraid to try it out.  So, I was going to show them how to do it.  I climbed up to the top, sat down on the edge, and prepared for take-off.  A couple seconds after I pushed off, the handle apparatus bounced up off of the track, and I fell straight down.  I was a little shaken, but I did not want to give up.  So, I tried it again and had the same results.  I zipped for a couple feet and then found myself straight down on the ground again.  You know the saying, “If you fall off a horse, get back on and try it again.”  The other girls were watching with wide eyes.  I had done nothing to help them not be afraid; that is for sure!  I decided to try it one more time only to fall straight down again.  By that time, everything was starting to tingle.  My hands were sore from having the handles jerked out of them.  My whole body hurt.  I said, “Three strikes, and I’m out!” One of the other girls tried it, and she was successful.  Another girl worked up the courage to try it, and she had the same results as I did – falling flat on her back.  At that point, we went to find the staff member who was travelling with us.  He said that he had never heard of anyone falling from a zip line.  He had his oldest son get up there and try it, and he rode it all the way to the end.  I do not know what we did wrong, but to this day, I have never touched another zip-line!

While we were singing at that church that night, my arms were going into muscle spasms.  That night, the other girl who fell and I ended up staying at the same house.  We were both quite stiff.

The next day, we visited the Mall of America.  I was not among those with their arms raised up in the air on the roller coaster that day; I could barely lift my hand to my mouth let alone above my head!

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!