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Maybe you’ve heard the word salvation before but you don’t know what it means. Karen breaks down her experience with salvation and conquers her fear of heights along the way. BY KAREN COLLUM
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TRUSTING THE Safety LINE 18
SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • MAY 2022
can tell you the exact moment I regretted my decision. A few weeks prior, my daughter had announced that she wanted to go to a high ropes and zipline course with friends for her 11th birthday. I thought it would be a great activity; that is, until the moment I found myself three metres above the rainforest canopy on a platform with no railings, hugging a tree trunk. I was fine during the safety briefing, and when the instructor fitted me with a harness and a special clip-and-release system that would ensure I was always connected to the safety line. I was even fine when I donned my hard hat and gloves and practised clipping on and off the fence line. It was only when I left the ground that I realised I was definitely not fine.
My daughter and her friends went first. They clambered up the ladder, transferred their safety clip to the overhead wire and skipped across the wobbly wooden bridge (with every second plank missing) with ease. Then it was my turn. Internally, I was conflicted. This was a major tourist attraction at a well-known wildlife park. Their risk assessment was thorough, with thousands of people going through the course every year. Psychologically, I knew I was safe, but I didn’t feel safe. At more than double the weight of the girls, I felt sure the wire wasn’t strong enough to hold me. The ground was so far away. I was going to lose my balance and fall. There was no way I could do this! But then I took my first wobbly step onto the bridge. I may have MAY 2022 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU
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