I’ve been thinking about fear a lot this year, and how much opportunity it steals from us. The worst thing about fear (apart from how paralysing it is), is that when you actually do actually take a leap of faith you realise that a) 99% of your fear was unfounded and b) how beautiful it is once you jump.
One of my fears is large bodies of water. Or diving. Or jumping into something that I can’t see the bottom of. Which is a problem given that a lot of beautiful things live underwater. Aside from its pristine beaches, the other main draw of Tulum is the cenotes – natural water pools or sinkholes that are formed from collapsed lime rock, described by one Mayan archaeologist as ‘a swiss cheese effect, underground’.
As the only source of fresh water, the cenotes were (and still are) seen as sacred sites for the ancient Mayan tribes, but many are open for swimming, diving and snorkelling, which meant it was only a matter of time before I had to jump in.
The Gran Cenote doesn’t look that big, but that’s because most of it is underwater. Or in the caves. Where the bats live.
Sure it’s beautiful from the side, but I knew that I was going to have to go under water for the good stuff. After faffing with snorkels I stood at the edge thinking I could either stay at the side and miss out or I could jump in. And all of a sudden, standing at the side, it felt like a mirror for the rest of my life. Be scared and miss out or just feel the fear and do it anyway.
So I counted to three and jumped.
Was it scary? No.
Was it beautiful? Yes.
Would I have wanted to miss out? No.
The lesson? Just jump. It’s beautiful down there.
Antojitos Por Favor! 