Fear is a Four-Letter Word By Colleen Tirtirian Weeks ago, my husband and I were lucky enough to score a weekend getaway without our kids. We packed our overnight bags and hit the road, leaving our twins behind with the babysitters (aka, my parents). After a year of strict lockdown with three-year-old kiddos, we finally received our coveted COVID vaccines (bless the scientists and healthcare workers), and thus, decided a parenting break was well-deserved. It was a two-hour drive to the mountains in New York. We drank in the scenery as it changed from cityscape to forest; windows down, music up. Freedom. My Type A tendencies were thrown to the wind, ready to enjoy a few laid-back days, planning be damned. On our first full day, we decided to go hiking among the greenery and rock formations. The air was inviting and fresh unlike our usual city air, and I was feeling a bit high on life. As we ascended the rocky landscape, I caught a vision. And I am not talking about the kind of “vision” where I think of how I want my life to be and my positive thoughts and energy make it happen. It was, instead, a literal vision: A group of five or so adults in helmets and harnesses, scaling a rather tall rock-face. I stopped and stared in awe. I turned to my husband and without hesitation said, “I need to do that.” He laughed. “Umm. You’re crazy.” He thought I was joking. The gall! Well, if there’s anything you need to know about me, it’s that once I set my mind on something, it’s very difficult to talk me out of it. I reaffirmed my intention. He responded with another chuckle. “Wait. But aren’t you scared?” He asked. “No way!” I quickly replied. Was I crazy to think scaling a rock looked thrilling and was something I needed to do? Okay, maybe. Was I afraid? Definitely not. After all, I gave birth to two babies in two minutes, and after that experience, there’s not much fear left in me. After that trip, I decided to head to our local rock gym. The first time I
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