We were much closer to the sun than should have been, and it showed through the sweat drops that congregated on our faces. I wiped my sweaty palms on my shirt even though I had finished climbing the giant rock. I glanced over the edge and saw the ocean's waves crashing at the rocks, maybe 80 feet below. My knees instantly turned into jelly at the sight and my legs gave out from underneath me. Sure, I've climbed this high before, and this isn't even the highest I've been, but it wasn't my fear of heights that was bothering me now. It what was coming next. My stomach twisted at the thought of it. By some act of God, my boyfriend had actually accomplished in convincing me to cliff dive.

Trevor, being the faster and more experienced climber then me, had beaten me to the top and had already stripped from his climbing gear. He was spitting out numerous safety procedures, but I was hardly listening. I fumbled with the harness connecting me to the rock, but not unlatching it quite yet. I preferred to remain hooked to the rock for as long as possible. "Are you ready?" Trevor asked eagerly, his dark eyes wild with excitement. I swear that man must be crazy. I guess that makes me crazy too. I shook my head no. He laughed and picked me up to my feet and pushed me towards the edge, but the rope attaching me to the rock stopped him short.

"Trevor, I don't think I can do this," I whispered, backing up. Trevor rolled his eyes. I started climbing back down, feeling like I had disappointed him. I felt like I had disappointed myself. I've never really felt like a coward until now. I've always took my problems head on. "I'm not letting you back out now," Trevor said, pulling on my harness and pulling me back on the rock. "You're not a quitter."

I'm not a quitter, I repeated to myself over and over as I stood tall atop of the rock. I forced my legs to stop shaking. I walked over to the edge. I am NOT a quitter. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and before I could let it out, Trevor had grabbed a hold of my hand and jumped, pulling me along with him.

I wanted to scream, whether out of terror or excitement, I'm not sure. Either way, no sound left my lips no matter how hard I tried as I plummeted closer and closer to the crashing waves below. I felt weightless in the free fall. The wind lashed against our faces as all of my problems lifted from my shoulders and faded into oblivion. The adrenaline was unbelievable and indescribable. I even think I was laughing, proving I had lost my mind in the free fall. We hit the water hard seconds later. It ended much sooner than I wanted.

I can't believe I was actually scared to jump. To this day I still look back and laugh at how silly I had been. Then again, I'm sure everyone would have been scared in that situation. What I do know is that moment changed something in me for the rest of my life. I learned a very important lesson. If I look past my fears, I can accomplish anything, but if I let my fears hold me captive, I would miss out on thousands of experiences. I'd just wave as they passed me by in the rear-view mirror. Life is a participation sport; I'm not going to let it pass me by anymore.