The Hard Way

I work part-time at Ironwood Outdoor Center from March to November. The high-ropes course consists of three climbing elements, the flying squirrel (a giant swing) and a zip line. 

On the days when I work the zip line tower I stand on a platform forty feet in the air and wait for participants to climb the "telephone pole" at which point I clip them into the zip and send them on their way. Seldom is the zip line met with a lukewarm reception. People either have no reservations or they are scared to death. Either way, most of them end up on the tower standing next to me. 

Yesterday, my last participant sat frozen on the tower for nearly 10 minutes before deciding that she was too scared to proceed. It was at this point that I explained that she had two options...she could take the easy way down on the zip line...she could take the hard way down repelling off the pole she had just climbed. She sat there for a few moments, riddled with fear and then stood up. "She wants to come down the hard way" I yelled to my co-worker on the ground. "No, no I don't, I'll do it, just give me a minute." She sat back down and was off in 3-2-1. 

It's funny, how, when faced with fear, we tend to look for the easy way out.