Allow me to exspain.
Everyone, meet Iván. Iván, meet everyone.
Sun in Sevilla. |
I've been afraid for the past few months to write about this kid. In fact, it took me a really long time to realize it, but the fear of writing about this kid, coupled with the giant part that he's been playing in my life, might be part of the reason why I've neglected this blog for so long. So yeah, I've been afraid to write about Iván. I want you to meet him. I want everyone I know to meet him. Sometimes I like to daydream about introducing him to all the people who read this blog (and many many people who don't), all my favorite people, as we hang out in some little bar in Downtown or walk around the Ferry Building (depending, of course, on who you are and where you live -- my daydream is happy to come to you). And when I'm daydreaming that, I'm the happiest girl around. And sometimes, that's really scary. Because it's easy from there to start worrying about getting your hopes up. It's easy to start thinking -- "but what if things fall apart?" It's easy for things that you invest in to crumble, and talking about it makes them seem all the more fragile. What I mean, I guess, is it's easy to give in to the knee-jerk reaction of fear for self-protection. Maybe I'm not explaining right, and maybe it's not necessary to explain everything on an internet abyss with a punny title, but I'll try my best to get some megapixel of my scattered idea across, because this concept of fear and of letting fear go has a lot to do with my time here and the things I've come to realize about myself.
I will use an example. Conveniently, this example also will finally put you a little bit more up to date with what's been going on in my life. But only a little. Because it was like two months ago.
Okay. So there was this mountain. Or, you know, mountainy sort of area place thing. It's called Riopar and, as I have confirmed, it is on Google Images. Its star attraction is a waterfall that turns into the beginning of a river that dominates the province of Albacete. Iván and I headed up there to hike one weekend in February when there wouldn't be many tourists or other hikers and we could enjoy the wilderness almost all to ourselves.
At first we wandered around a bit by the bottom of the waterfall, where the wide path was paved with "rugged" cobblestones and wooden banisters. Couples were taking pictures of each other with pinched, violently happy smiles and thick scarves. A family was hauling their little 'uns up the stone stairs, leaning them over the railings to feel the mist. It was lovely and safe and very pretty. But it wasn't all there was.
Soon, we found the real fun. A winding, overgrown trail, nearly invisible save for the white arrows chalked on trees as periodic reassurances that the traveler wasn't utterly lost. It led, Iván told me, to the top of the waterfall, and the cave from which it fell. Iván told me the cave was a deep network of crevices and tunnels, but from the ground, it looked more like a long, gaping gash in the rocks. It also looked, you know, um, kinda, well, high. And I wanted to go to there.
After about ten steps, I claimed a walking stick for myself, and spent the rest of the trek feeling a bit like Samwise Gamgee loping along after Aragorn. The pathlet (mini-path? pathito?) snaked along the edge of the mountain, weaving between trees and expansive views, and I hummed the Lord of the Rings theme song and congratulated myself on my good choice of walking stick and was a generally happy camper.
Until there was the ice.
It was only a little ice. And after all, it was February and it was a mountain and we were right next to a ton of water, so of course there would be ice. Still. It was ice. I'm pretty sure I've only seen ice in the wilderness a handful of times. For me, seeing real ice on the ground is like seeing a hipster in Spain -- very unlikely and highly shocking.
We weren't far from the top when it happened. A steep drop off on the outer edge of the path, and along the incline a small but intrusive patch of shiny stuff. It stretched for about three feet along the path, and before I really thought about it, it seemed harmless enough.
"Careful of the ice," Iván said, a few steps ahead of me, clearing the section with this mountain goat kind of hop. The man has a grace that I most surely lack. I watched his back as he moved a few steps away from me. I kicked a rock and watched it tumble down the cliff. I looked back to Iván. Cliff. Iván. Ice. Damn, that's a long way down. Damn.
Around then, I just shut down. Really, I was safe. Of course, not completely safe --I was taking the risks that always accompany hiking. Still, I was completely paralyzed with fear, so afraid of falling that I couldn't take the next step. It flooded me wordlessly. I was helpless. I couldn't go forward or even turn and run. I couldn't do anything but cling to the rock and think of all the terrible ways this could end, and how I could never get out. The world became twisted and small and threatening and I just wanted to apparate away from my terror. Of course, the fear came from a reasonable place -- a self-protective, self-preserving place -- but it had grown far beyond proportion to incapacitate me.
And all because of a little bit of ice.
Moment of peril: a re-enactment |
It's just a little ice, really. And his hand was so close. How could a little ice keep me back here, a quivering ball of out-of-control fear. So I made the scary choice. It wasn't even that far to jump, once I'd done it.
At the top it was beautiful. It was worth it.
Spoiler Alert -- he doesn't jump. |
Neither of us know what will happen in the next few months. But no matter how things go, this has been beautiful, and I'm finally ready to try to forget about fear and take in the view.