I'm afraid of heights. You hear me? Scared shirt-less.
I had a couple of bad experiences as a kid, being dragged around to Niagara Falls, the Empire State Building, ski lifts, the Statue of Liberty and one of these towers in San Antonio. An awful, panicky feeling would come over me as I looked down from these great heights, imagining what it would be like to fall.
And what gets me is that my fear is usually poo-pooed by my friends. They laugh at me, tell me to get therapy and make me feel like an odd ball. I think everyone should be afraid of heights, it should be a basic, primal fear. You're in a life-threatening situation. If you fall, you'll die.
Have you ever been to The Grand Canyon? When you watch people dancing along the edge of the canyon, climbing trees that hang over the canyon, walking down trails in high-heels into the canyon, it's obvious that most people have no fear of heights. That just doesn't make sense to me.
I knew one day when someone came for a visit I'd have to brave The Calgary Tower. And so when Mom arrived just after Christmas, I took a deep breath and asked her if she'd like to check it out. Of course, she did.
I got online to find their schedule and came across a few facts that didn't help assuage my fears:
"Officially opened June 30th 1968, the 'Tower' has become the City of Calgary's most famous and identifiable physical landmark. One of the first Towers of its kind."
What's that now? The tower is 43 years old? Sounds like it's about ready to come down! And then there was this:
"Dare to try something that will take your breath away? Visitors to the Observation Deck are able to virtually 'step out into' space on the glass floor experience. Imagine standing 525 feet above the ground in the heart of Calgary and being able to look straight down...you will be treated to the unusual experience of literally being suspended in mid-air."
Um...what?
(From the Calgary Tower website)
I wanted Mom to have this experience but I was hoping I wouldn't die in the process. I weighed my options and decided that showing my mother a nice time in the city was worth the possibility of having a heart attack. So off we went!
And as you all may have expected, it was no big deal. I didn't die. The glass floor of horrors was only a small section of the observation deck where little boys horsed around as if they were on terra firma. A baby waddled out there. Young lovers asked Mom to take a picture of them standing on it. Giggles and smiles- that's what the experience was like.
Did I walk out there? Hell no! A person could die doing that.
But Mom did:
14 comments:
Fear of heights...don't ever drive on Independance Pass on the way to Aspen Colorado...14,000 feet, single lane (made for double) road, no guard rails and a 4000 foot drop. We drove it in 2008 and my husband has never been the same....nice article Caryl.....
Years and years ago, when I was very young and worked in Manhattan, I worked in a large building right on Broadway. There was a parade and we all climbed out a window and stood on the roof of a lower portion of the building. There was a low wall around it. When I stood near the edge I got the feeling I could just float out over the wall and be okay. Scared the devil out of me and I quickly stepped back to safety. I'm not really afraid of heights but I have to guard against that feeling of euphoria if I get too close to the edge. I did enjoy the tower and the spectacular views but you'll notice I'm holding onto the pole when I stepped onto the glass floo! Thanks for taking me up there, Caryl, I'd go again.
Love, Mom
Caryl - I also have a fear of heights. I get a weird feeling in my calves ,a tingling -my daughter does too -it's strange I know-but it always happens when I look down from a tall place or even looking up will do it...
I also have a fear of things that are submerged or buried deep Big things like the Statue of Liberty buried in the movie Planet of the Apes or the Titanic submerged within the depths of the ocean...
Hope this makes you feel better ,now that you know I'm such a freak...LOL
I guess you won't be visiting here anytime soon. :) http://www.grandcanyonskywalk.com/
I don't really have a fear of heights (except in elevators in tall buildings) but I'm not sure I could walk on the glass floor in either place - your tower, or the GC.
BTW, the post was great - thanks for the smiles. :)
In Vegas they have a tower like that where they let people jump off...attached to a wire, of course, but it's heart-stopping just watching it.Cathy
i can see grandma holding on to the pole in the pic. Was it for the sake of posing or safety...? lol
YYYYYYIf
Caryl, I'm not normally afraid of heights, will get a queazy feeling watching vids of heights sometimes. I'd rather look up than down. Years ago when I was in Chicago we went to the Sears tower mall with the glass elevators we were at the top, by the time we hit bottom I was sitting on the floor of the elevator, LOL!
JI
I'm having a panic attack just thinking about Independence Pass, Anonymous! eek
Interesting story, Mom! Glad you enjoyed the tower. That glass floor was insane, though.
A tingling in your legs, Wendy? I've never heard of that but at least you can relate to my fear of heights!
No way would I walk out on that glass floor at the Grand Canyon, Margaret!!
Geez, Cathy, I can't even imagine jumping OFF a tower like this one. I can't wrap my head around doing that!
Yifei, Grandma was a little nervous! She grabbed the pole and inched out onto the glass floor without looking down!
Jersey, I can totally relate to sitting on the floor of that elevator. You just reminded me of another situation I wound up in as a kid. One of those gondolas at Disney World. I slumped to the floor and refused to look out. Very scary!
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Good to see you, anonymous!
I worked for someone once that told me a doctor told her the feeling was that of an urge or want....I know, nuts huh? Well, after she explained it to me, it actually made sense. If you have ever enjoyed a pleasurable moment, you know that feeling, tingling sensation in your legs leading to your abdomen....or euphoria feeling. When you are over a ledge or railing and looking down or even seeing someone looking down from a high area....it is an urge to want to actually jump or feel that adrenalin rush, but because of the fear, it becomes just that an urge or want, never a reality! So the next time you are leaning over a rail or looking down a glass portal...let go of the fear and enjoy the feeling of pleasure!
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