Want a dose of inspiration? We love to interact with our readers, so we asked them on Facebook: “What is the scariest/bravest thing you’ve ever done?” Here are some of the amazing answers we got.
Note: Names have been abbreviated to first name and last initial only, and answers have been edited for grammatical purposes.
Mary Ann H.: “Battled and beat cancer . . . Just found out today that I am cancer free!”
Lynn M.: “Crawled into a cave exploring only to discover it was full (ceiling and walls in an interior chamber) of overwintering tarantulas! You’d have to know how terrified I am of them to appreciate the fear I felt . . . Horrible!”
Teala M.: “Left an emotionally abusive relationship.”
Thomas M.: “Perimeter guard duty in Vietnam!”
Patricia E.: “Three options and I can’t actually pick one. 1. Publishing my first book. 2. Confessing to my mother that I was abused by my ex . . . Yes, even scarier than leaving him 3. Signing up for a triathlon because I didn’t know how to swim and wanted to learn, and I needed the push to do so.”
Greg W.: “Extricating a young lady who crashed her car into an electric pole. The transformer and high tension wires were sparking above our heads, ready to fall on the car and electrocute us. The chief issued the order to fall back and save ourselves. I pretended not to hear the order. With the help of hydraulic tools and elbow grease, we got her out.”
Tracey S.: “Surviving a major stroke at 38 with five young children.”
Inge S.: “Escaped from East Germany.”
Curt R.: “Telling her I always loved her. Life is too short not to.”
Maria R.: “Getting and staying sober.”
Diana W.: “Kept living.”
Mariam F.: “Being homeless with my baby for 2 years before I found a job and a place of my own in another state.”
Nancy K.: “My daughter lives 13 hours away from where I live. The weekend before her first day of teaching, she had an anxiety attack while preparing her classroom. Her husband called and asked if there was any way I could go down and help her out. So, I left as soon as I got off work at 3 p.m. I had only been to her house a couple of times and was not real sure how to get there, but I left work and began my trip. Once the sun went down, I couldn’t see very well (didn’t have the maps app at that time). I got lost. I drove through some very hilly country. There were no streetlights. I pulled into her driveway at 6:00 the next morning and took a nap. Then we got her classroom ready for students the next Monday. I named whatever highway I was actually on the “Stephen King” highway.”
Jennifer P.: “Talked an abuser down and left after being held at gunpoint.”
Heidi M.: “At the age of 55 I quit my soul-sucking job with little idea how I was going to support myself and went back to school. Just for me, to prove to myself I really could do it. And I did.”
Lauren Y.: “Adopting my daughter 13 years ago as a single mom.”
Amy D.: “Chopped a snake in half to save my young daughter from getting bitten.”
Trisha R.: “Testified in court against my father in a child abuse case when I was 11 years old.”
Jeanne V.: “Coming out at age 50.”
Collette Hess
When my sons were very young and in car seats a knife wielding man jumped in our car and threatened to kill my babies if I did not drive. I turned off my car, tossed the car keys out of the window and preceded to kick, scream and grab his knife, nearly cutting my thumb off. The man ran away, and thank God my babies were untouched.
Sweatpants & Coffee
Ermahgerd! Collette! Thank goodness you were all okay at the end of that (besides your thumb). You are FIERCE, mama. Good for you.