Jumping Off the Cliff

When I was eight years old, I remember standing at the top of a ladder that was next to a trampoline at my cousins’ house. Everyone was jumping off the ladder onto the trampoline to get a big bounce. It had looked fun when I was at the bottom of the ladder. I’ve never particularly considered myself afraid of heights, but as I stared down at the trampoline, I could not make myself let go of my grip on the sides. I stood up there for several long minutes as my…