January 1 2018 ,
I climbed a canopy walk for the first time in Lekki conservation centre.
The first level was not so high so I had quite some fun walking through with no increased heartbeats, despite the creaking sound of the suspended walkway and it's swinging from side to side.
The second level was higher and this time, farther from our starting point and the ground. At this point, acrophobia had kicked in. My pores were already raised from goosebumps and twisted imaginations.
The monkeys leaping from trees to trees in a frenzy further unsettled me. My fellow scared climbers who had resorted to screeching and screaming as a coping strategy weren't helping matters. Despite the fear, I made it past that level.
The third was the highest. It was practically on the same level with the trees' top. I made efforts to see the view below but my stare was met with dizziness. I looked ahead and saw that there were two more levels to go with the 4th being the longest. That meant more swinging from unsteadiness and cringing. In short, further torture, sweating and fear-facing.
Terrified was an understatement. Panic button had been pushed. My stomach was in chaos. I swiftly looked back to find our starting point and made a mental calculation of what it would cost to go back in a bid to avoid the thrilling scare ahead.
More. It would cost more.
I would have gone back alone because others, though more scared than I was, weren't ready to leave.
Three levels backward instead of going through with just the two ahead.
More time, energy and emotions plus the aftertaste of quitting, regrets.
Sometimes we get into some projects, tasks, assignments, job, etcetera in life and suddenly want to pack up and leave when things become overwhelming.
What was thought to be a walk in the park turns out to be a run in a jungle.
In that time, quitting always appears as a three-course meal that never looked better. If you take it, the aftertaste of that meal will linger. Depression has known many through this.
Quitting, lots of times is expensive. Don't borrow a loan to afford it.
Hold on, stay strong, you will be glad you did.