17 votes

What was your "20 seconds of insane courage" moment that actually ended up working out?

Tags: ask, survey, casual

What did you recently do (or maybe not recent but still memorable) to go out of your comfort zone and actually have it work out in the end?

16 comments

  1. [3]
    meghan
    Link
    I came out as trans after 21 years back in April. I've been on the up since and the only regret I have is that I didn't do it sooner. 💖

    I came out as trans after 21 years back in April. I've been on the up since and the only regret I have is that I didn't do it sooner. 💖

    13 votes
    1. Shahriar
      Link Parent
      That must have been exhilarating with the huge weight off your shoulders!

      That must have been exhilarating with the huge weight off your shoulders!

      4 votes
    2. Kirby703
      Link Parent
      That was the first thing I thought of when reading the title, and me 4 days ago. Just to my family so far, but preexisting online friends are next and "real people" in a few months. It's so much...

      That was the first thing I thought of when reading the title, and me 4 days ago. Just to my family so far, but preexisting online friends are next and "real people" in a few months. It's so much better having one foot out of the closet.

      4 votes
  2. [3]
    aethicglass
    Link
    This is less "courage" and more "insanity", but it's the first thing that came to mind. I used to backpack out to a canyon. Nice little stream, nice waterfall next to camp, big turtle pond....

    This is less "courage" and more "insanity", but it's the first thing that came to mind.

    I used to backpack out to a canyon. Nice little stream, nice waterfall next to camp, big turtle pond. Everything was overshadowed by a huge cliff. It goes up 2000', but it's not sheer. More like a really steep shale slope. Looks like a fault line in action, with the twisted grain of the rock explicitly visible. Hundreds of feet of sediment layers that probably date back hundreds of millions of years worth of tectonic activity.

    One night, on mushrooms, I decided to climb the cliff. I went up a few hundred feet, and in the full moon I could see the expanse of the canyon beneath me. Then, suddenly, I realized I was on an unstable cliff. At night. Without a flashlight, rope, or a lick of sense.

    I scree skied. Actually I had to work my way sideways along the cliff for a while until I found a decent descent, then I scree skied.

    Come to think of it, I've done a lot of crazy shit out there without serious injury. That canyon should have killed me a dozen times over by now.

    Here's the cliff in question. Its an old cell phone pic, but hopefully the description makes a bit more sense.

    11 votes
    1. [2]
      Shahriar
      Link Parent
      I was imagining some cliff in 127 hours. That's still crazy to think how close you were to death.

      I was imagining some cliff in 127 hours. That's still crazy to think how close you were to death.

      1 vote
      1. aethicglass
        Link Parent
        I know that story, but I've avoided watching it. Yea, it's not a sheer cliff like half dome or a cravasse (even reading about those gives me nightmares). There are sections that are 90 degrees...

        I know that story, but I've avoided watching it. Yea, it's not a sheer cliff like half dome or a cravasse (even reading about those gives me nightmares). There are sections that are 90 degrees vertical, but a lot of it is very easily climbable. The problem is that it's all crumbly sediment, so it's very unstable. Checking holds is absolutely necessary because most of the potential holds are too loose. So that's kinda why I went with the guy descision to ski down. It was going to be more difficult to verify the holds on the way down, so surfing the leading edge of a rock slide was probably the safest choice.

        Wish I had a better picture of that cliff though. It's difficult to fit in frame with a crappy camera, but seeing the twists and turns of the rock grain was so surreal. And since it was easy of the campsite, camp was always shady in the morning right up til noon. Of course, there were also quite a few instances of boulders falling off the cliff at night. One trip out, there was a new boulder in the middle of the campsite that was probably about the mass of a car. I eventually stopped going out because I started to get the feeling that the canyon was getting tired of seeing me.

        1 vote
  3. Hypersapien
    Link
    Far more than 20 seconds, but I crocheted a Christmas present for a woman I was interested in and had known for two or three weeks. It was an ammonite. I figured it would go over well since she...

    Far more than 20 seconds, but I crocheted a Christmas present for a woman I was interested in and had known for two or three weeks. It was an ammonite. I figured it would go over well since she had a trilobite tattoo on her calf.

    When I gave it to her, she had come over to my place with the intention of cutting me loose.

    We've been together for four years now.

    8 votes
  4. [3]
    patience_limited
    Link
    How's this - I don't believe sky-diving takes "insane courage". It's not risk-free, but likely safer than rock-climbing (which I've also done), kite-surfing, football, or any number of other...

    How's this - I don't believe sky-diving takes "insane courage". It's not risk-free, but likely safer than rock-climbing (which I've also done), kite-surfing, football, or any number of other voluntary recreational activities:

    https://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2012/04/19/why-skydiving-is-not-safer-than-driving-2/

    Jumping out of a plane was the best possible way I could think of to celebrate one of those milestone birthdays that leaves many people depressed. And while I'm not sure it was life-changing, it was an experience I'll treasure for the rest of my days.

    6 votes
    1. [2]
      Shahriar
      Link Parent
      Just that jump from plane to no ground underneath, I think that still takes insane courage!

      Just that jump from plane to no ground underneath, I think that still takes insane courage!

      1 vote
      1. patience_limited
        Link Parent
        I've had more near-death moments in traffic than through any other activity, and really do have to scrape a measure of courage together to get in the car every workday. As far as I'm concerned,...

        I've had more near-death moments in traffic than through any other activity, and really do have to scrape a measure of courage together to get in the car every workday. As far as I'm concerned, millions of drivers on the road, including me, are insane idiots blithely wielding deadly weapons; automated transit can't arrive soon enough.

        3 votes
  5. Joe091
    Link
    I proposed to my girlfriend of 5 years a month ago. She said yes and we’re getting married next year! I was almost certain she would say yes, but I was scared to death to actually pop the...

    I proposed to my girlfriend of 5 years a month ago. She said yes and we’re getting married next year! I was almost certain she would say yes, but I was scared to death to actually pop the question. I had a thousand yard stare going on for the 5-10 minutes before I finally mustered up the courage to ask her, and she thought something was wrong with me. I should have done it years ago, but I’m glad I finally did.

    6 votes
  6. [2]
    Social
    Link
    Was illegally abroad, severely mentally ill and under the control of my manipulating father saying I couldn't get medical treatment in my home country. Ended up bailing out and finally got home...

    Was illegally abroad, severely mentally ill and under the control of my manipulating father saying I couldn't get medical treatment in my home country. Ended up bailing out and finally got home and got help.

    5 votes
    1. [2]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. Social
        Link Parent
        Think you replied to the wrong comment.

        Think you replied to the wrong comment.

  7. [3]
    acr
    Link
    I was probably 22 when this happened. When I was in the Navy I was in charge of the fantail. The fantail was a large open space on the back of the ship. We had this mezzanine that was probably 30...

    I was probably 22 when this happened.

    When I was in the Navy I was in charge of the fantail. The fantail was a large open space on the back of the ship. We had this mezzanine that was probably 30 ft above the fantail. We kept our flat bottom boats and some other things up there.

    We were about to pull out of port so they had us stowing the flat bottom boats. Which included hoisting them up there and then securing them.

    The mezzanine had this thin metal lip all the way around it. Basically like a steel sheet stood up sideways all the way around.

    I was on the outside edge with my back toward the ground below. I was going to push a boat in Word quickly and then get back on the other side.

    So I'm on the outside edge and I start to push this boat and this guy actually pushes the boat at me. My feet get wedged between the boat and that metal lip. I feel myself falling backwards, and I think this is it.

    I didn't panic, I just told myself to relax and time kind of slow down. I literally took a breath and just told myself to relax and kind of started rotating my arms slowly. Then it hit me, it's working don't do anything else, don't lean, don't jump, don't move, don't do anything just keep doing what you're doing. As soon as I had my balance back I leaned forward over the boat to keep get my weight forward and in sure I wasn't going anywhere. I don't know if it was a drenalin or what but I shove that boat away from me like it was nothing. Just shoved it and jumped over it.

    The guy just kind of mumbled, "Sorry.."

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      aethicglass
      Link Parent
      I don't know if it was the case for you, but while picturing this in my head I imagined it as a "and then time just kinda stopped for a while" kind of situation.

      I don't know if it was the case for you, but while picturing this in my head I imagined it as a "and then time just kinda stopped for a while" kind of situation.

      1. acr
        Link Parent
        No, time definitely didn't stop. Things just slowed way down and my reaction time went way up.

        No, time definitely didn't stop. Things just slowed way down and my reaction time went way up.

        1 vote