Written by Dr. Elliot Lysyk, DC ~ Vernon Chiropractor

I grip the handles of a bridge and peer 160 ft. down into a rocky, raging river. A stranger pokes me in the back, urging me to lean out as far as possible. I stare into the abyss, gulp deeply, and, when I hear my cue (“5-4-3-2-1…Go!”), I jump.

Just before slamming into the turbulent current, the rubbery cord catches my fall and whips me around. I release a “man-roar” of complete exhilaration.

This describes my recent experience bungee jumping in Whistler, BC—one of my many attempts at capturing the ‘aliveness’ that comes with fear. There is nothing like total fear and trust having coffee together on a sunny day. The billions of nerve fibers in my body were all screaming not to jump…and yet overcoming that resistance made me feel incredibly vital and alive.

Feeling truly present and in the moment can often mean coming to terms with fear, where any illusion of security is taken away. I definitely wasn’t thinking about taxes, the real estate market, or my to-do list. And that, my friends, is present-moment consciousness at its best!