Today I killed a chicken...

Today I killed a chicken...

I hate chickens, it's the one of the birds that annoys me the most besides roosters. Yes, they are different but without one there wouldn't be the other. The world would be a better place with out chickens and roosters. At least I think so. No mess, and no worries about a rooster attacking you if you happen to walk too close to the coop.

That's not exactly the type of chicken I want to talk about though. So don't go thinking I'm a literal chicken killer, cause I'm not. The type of chicken that I am addressing is the one that lives inside all of us. Those deep dark secret fears that make us... Well, chickens!

This story happened a while back, so the title is more like a couple years ago I killed a chicken, but I wrote this the day I killed a chicken...Hence the title.

Here goes...

My family loves adventure. Every year we do something so amazing! So spectacular! So COOL!! SO DAVITT!! SO... SO... adventurous. This one adventure happened to be a white water rafting trip through the Grand Canyon.
Now, there is some amount of laziness we all inherit, thus our family choosing the motorized raft...as well as the fact there was like a five year waiting list for the paddle rafts. But all was good as we pulled up to the starting point in our van.

Once we got there we filed out of the van and practically fell over each other to get to the riverside. The water was a dark clear blue, and ICE cold. There was NO way I wasn't looking forward to all that was to come.

The rafting experience was amazing. We would sit on the sides of the raft and hang on for dear life (well not that badly cause if we fell we wouldn't have died) and the raft would be bucking like crazy. All of us would scream and laugh. It was the greatest fun. Along the river side there would be little beaches and this was where we'd set up for camp.

One day we'd set camp at one of these places, and the guy in charge of the raft told us he wanted to take us somewhere. So we all followed through the twists in the Canyon walls (it's so different in the bottom) to a beautiful water fall pouring out of a cave into a deep pool of water below. It took everyone's breath away.

Zach (the son of the person in charge of the raft), I don't know why I remember his name but maybe it's because he was really cute, went and dove into the pool and swam in behind the waterfall. The next second we saw him standing above in the cave the water was coming out of. He took a couple steps back and made this huge leap into the pool of water below.

Erik, my brother not being able to resist the fun ran to follow. I stayed behind. One reason...I'm a BIG chicken when it comes to falling down from high places fast, also at this time I hated jumping in water. That's why my favorite ride at the amusement park was the merrygoround. Didn't get wet and didn't have the fast falling sensation. I liked to play it safe!

After seeing them jump a couple times I started to wonder what it was like in that cave. How amazing would that be to just climb up there and see what lies behind the water fall. I couldn't stop myself...no sooner had my curiosity got the best of me I had already swam behind the fall.

I climbed up into the cave and crawled towards the second level. It was a slippery climb, but I made it. It was awesome. I sat on the side and watched Zach and Erik take a couple more jumps. On their fifth time coming up they told me that the group was ready to go, so I got up and proceeded to go down the way I came up and fell flat on my butt.

There was no way I was going to be able to climb down the same way. The rocks were so slimy and there were not enough places to gain a good grip to safely get down. I knew my only option was to jump, and at that very moment I hated myself for climbing my way into this situation.

I stood at the lip of the waterfall with Zach and Erik behind me coaxing me to go. I was shaking from head to toe, and not because I was cold. Because my inner chicken had come out and did not want to face its fear.

Erik was telling me I'd be okay. My inner chicken was telling me I'd die. Zach was telling me it was very safe. My inner chicken was telling me he was an idiot. The group, who was watching, started to cheer me on. They told me I could do it. My inner chicken was telling me the cave would make a very nice home.

I must have stood there shaking for 5 min. or so. It was probably less, but felt like eternity!! While I was standing there Zach gave me an option out. He had found a way for me to climb down. But Erik said it was time to face my fear. He had done it six times and was okay. It was time to take a leap of faith. Faith in my brothers jump, faith in Zach's jump, neither of them had been hurt, they were fine. It was time for me to kill my inner chicken.

With that last thought I took a couple steps back and leaped off the lip of the fall and into the pool below. I could hear the roar of the falls above me as I sank to the bottom of the little pool. I must have looked like a gigantic puffer fish with my eyes wide open with an "Oh my gosh I jumped" look and my cheecks puffed out to capacity. I had taken a huge breath of air before I took the leap. I mean really, when you think you're gonna die you wanna breathe all the air you can get!

Slowly my body started to rise to the top and before I knew it my head was above the surface of the water and I was swimming back to the...(you thought I was gonna say shore weren't you!) cave!!! I climbed up a second time and this time without even thinking I leapt off the edge and into the water below. I had killed my inner chicken!! I had made my leap of faith and it was a successful one!

There are so many things in life that hold us back. So many fears that won't allow us to step beyond our comfort zones and experience life. I know that I have so many more chickens inside of me that need to go, and it's not just with things like roller coasters and sky diving... It's graduating school, it's choosing my career path, it's sickness, it's love, it's choosing to believe in God everyday. So many things I am afraid and hesitant to do. Why?

Because I don't know what's going to happen? Because I don't want to look stupid? Because I don't want to be weak? Most likely...But how silly are those reasons for being afraid? I look back at that amazing feeling of exhilaration I had, when I jumped off that waterfall, and how that felt. And how I wanted to do that again and again afterward. If we could just take a leap of faith everyday and believe that if God knows when the smallest sparrow falls than he's def. watching over us. If one could just believe that... Than loving would be easier, and if one got sick they could still be strong, and no matter what career one chose God would help them make a difference.

Look inside yourself...What are your fears? What is your inner chicken telling you not to do that is keeping you from achieving greatness in life? If I could illustrate a picture for you it would be like this...

You're standing at the edge of a waterfall...Over 10 ft. Imagine a height that scares you a little. Your inner chicken is telling you not to jump and it takes all your might just to keep your eyes open. God and all of heaven is waiting down at the bottom of the falls in the deep roaring water below. Your angel, and your friends, who have already leapt, are standing behind you telling you it's okay. You can jump. The devil has told you he's found an easier way out.(Sorry Zach, you are a great guy just an illustration) Your inner chicken is telling you not to jump, not to do anything. You don't need the faith! Keep the chicken because the chicken doesn't want to die just yet!

You take a deep breath, a couple of them. You take a couple steps back and...

Well, you tell me...Are you going to take the faith? Or are you going to keep hold of that chicken?

My advice to you is simple...Like I said in the beginning...Chickens are annoying, messy and in a round about way they create roosters, which might attack you if you're walking to close to the coop. So if I were you, I'd take the faith and kill that chicken!!

God Bless.

By: Sara Sue Renee