Showdown with the Boulder

A choir of saws now hums around Henning Pond. It's 22 degrees, down to 9 with the wind chill. But men are cutting a giant hole in the ice so people can jump in. So crazy. What kind of nut would do this? (Me...?) And why....?

Along with a hundred other people, I jumped in the pond last year. I said I was celebrating a big birthday. But it's also the kind of weird ritual that makes you face fears that float below the surface of your life.

Many creative people find a nature challenge attractive because it tests your nerve and gives you an adrenalin rush. One of my favorite stories from the past year is based on a nature challenge that went awry. It's the story of Aron Ralston, a hiker who ended up trapped by a boulder in a Utah canyon. He went hiking in search of adventure and thrills. Then nearly lost his life when faced with an obstacle he never anticipated.

Ralston's life story was the basis for the movie "127 Hours". I loved the story telling techniques used in the movie and wrote a piece about it for Carbon County Magazine. While Ralston waited in the canyon, he had nothing else to do but face his deepest fears. Finally, he gathered the courage to address his gruesome situation and was totally transformed by his showdown with the evil boulder.

As writers, we are often stymied by inner obstacles that keep us from addressing topics we ought to deal with in our writing. It takes great courage to overcome those fears and escape the boulders in our path. But it is worth all the effort to emerge victorious on the other side of fear.

I'm heading out to the pond now. Not jumping this year, but I want to see who else is jumping into the cold water, swimming toward the strange freedom on the other side. Try it. Take a leap, face a fear, get away from that boulder, write.