Rock Bottom to Mountain Top: How I Let Fear Drive My MS Journey
Okay, Evocean family, let's talk about two words that often make people want to pull the covers over their heads: Change and Fear.
Now, me? I'm not afraid of either of those things. In fact, you could say we're pretty intimate. We've been on a lot of adventures together. I'm typically absolutely petrified when I embark on something new. I've actually signed up for countless races, triathlons, and climbs without a single clue how I was going to complete them. My brain usually screams, "What are you THINKING?!"
But somehow, I always do. I let fear drive me. I look it square in the face and say, "Oh, you wanna come along? Fine. Let's go, you magnificent beast!"
My Latest Date with Fear: The Manitou Incline
So, I've had this particular climb sitting on my bucket list, whispering (sometimes yelling) my name for ages. It's the Manitou Incline in Colorado. Picture this: 2,744 man-made stairs straight up the side of a mountain, gaining about 2,000 feet of elevation in roughly an hour. It's not just a climb; it's a beast. In the past, no one has wanted to do it with me, and honestly, that's okay. I'm the crazy one here anyway, haha!
But I hit a point recently where I said, "Enough." Since I'll be in Colorado anyway for some glorious horseback riding, I must do this climb. Alone or not. Enough.
From Rock Bottom to Mountain Top (Literally)
And here's the kicker, the part that makes this climb feel like such a full-circle moment: just seven short months ago, my life felt like a chaotic tumble. I was navigating the painful end of an engagement, an absolutely awful real estate transaction, and a massive MS flare-up that had my body feeling like it was on fire. It was a triple whammy of "take me out."
But here I am. Not just surviving, but setting my sights on that beast of a staircase. I'm staring down fear, one step at a time.
Wish me luck, Evocean fam!
And if you're reading this, I have a challenge for you: Go do that scary thing you've been putting off. That thing that makes your palms sweat and your brain whisper doubts. That's where the magic happens. That's where you find out just how truly unstoppable you are.
Keep thriving and shine bright,
xoxo, Laura
