{"id":10137,"date":"2006-09-14T19:26:00","date_gmt":"2006-09-14T19:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/facing_our_fears\/"},"modified":"2015-10-22T06:48:13","modified_gmt":"2015-10-22T11:48:13","slug":"facing_our_fears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/facing_our_fears\/","title":{"rendered":"Facing Our Fears"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"image\"<\/div>\n

With his older brother and sister gallivanting around California presumably having a grand time on an extended summer vacation with their grandparents, we knew we had to spend some extra quality time with our seven-year-old Aviv who had been \u201cleft behind\u201d in Israel.<\/p>\n

This need was made abundantly clear during a phone call Aviv had with thirteen-year-old Amir shortly after they landed in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

“What are you doing there, Amir?” Aviv asked his big brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, tomorrow we’re going to Disneyland,\u201d Amir said mostly matter-of-fact.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo you\u2019re not,\u201d Aviv replied quickly, but there was a muted look of panic in his eyes. How could he not be included in the annual Disneyland trip, the penultimate height of summer fun?<\/p>\n

\u201cYes we are going,\u201d Amir said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019re not!\u201d Aviv said emphatically.<\/p>\n

Thinking quickly, I turned to Aviv. \u201cTell him where you\u2019re going tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

A faint swipe of seven-year-old smugness settled over Aviv\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we\u2019re going to a water park\u2026and you\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBig deal,\u201d Amir shot back.<\/p>\n

But it was a big deal.<\/p>\n

As we entered the Yamit 2000 park in Holon with our friends Debbie and Eliot and their two boys Liav and Avidan, Aviv\u2019s water-loving eyes lit up.<\/p>\n

Spread out in front of us were two enormous water slides that fed into what appeared to be a near-Olympic-sized swimming pool; a rambunctious children\u2019s area with a wave pool and randomly timed fountains that erupted to spritz unsuspecting passersby in the face; and a wacky contraption called the Space Bowl that shoots the rider into what I can only describe as a giant toilet basin where you circle round the side at breakneck speed before finally \u201cplopping\u201d through the bottom into the pool below.<\/p>\n

There was also plenty of grass and beach chairs to make a respectable picnic\u2026if you can hold down your lunch after swirling through that toilet bowl thingamajig.<\/p>\n

But the main attraction of Yamit 2000 was a new indoor section with what was billed as \u201cextreme\u201d water slides.<\/p>\n

Which is, of course, exactly where we headed first.<\/p>\n

There were three extreme slides to choose from. The \u201cAmazonas\u201d ride was actually pretty tame. You glide down on a big yellow inner tube. Aviv went with my wife Jody, and I went on my own. It was a leisurely, almost dreamy experience.<\/p>\n

The other two rides were decidedly less bucolic. One had the calming name \u201cSuper Kamikaze.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that mean?\u201d Aviv asked innocently.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, kamikazes were pilots in Japan who dive bombed their planes straight down like bombs. So I guess it\u2019s a slide that goes very fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aviv made a face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about that one?\u201d Aviv asked, pointing to the third \u201cextreme\u201d slide \u2013 this one called \u201cThe Black Hole.\u201d<\/p>\n

I had read about this one on the Internet before we came. \u201cIt\u2019s a slide that goes in complete darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh no, I don\u2019t want to do that one,\u201d Aviv said immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure?\u201d I asked. \u201cIt sounds fun.\u201d The line was the longest of all, and it was the most heavily promoted. Extreme slide enthusiast that I am, I figured that ought to account for something.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbba, no! You know I don\u2019t like the dark.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know sometimes it\u2019s good to face our fears,\u201d Jody poked in.<\/p>\n

Aviv looked perplexed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when you do the thing you\u2019re most afraid of,\u201d Jody clarified.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I\u2019m not doing it, so don\u2019t ask me again!\u201d<\/p>\n

And that was that. Or so we thought.<\/p>\n

We went on the Amazonas a second and third time, and on the outdoor slides at least four. But there was something rattling around in little Aviv\u2019s brain. He didn\u2019t express it out loud, but clearly he was thinking about something. We just didn\u2019t know what.<\/p>\n

We had some lunch and rested before heading back to extreme action land.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, I decided,\u201d Aviv announced suddenly.<\/p>\n

\u201cDecided\u2026what?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do it. The Black Hole.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. I\u2019m going to face my fears.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jody and I gave him a high five and then, before he could change his mind, we raced to get in line. The line of course snaked much too slowly, giving our inner chickens plenty of time to cluck away. But Aviv stayed steadfast with his decision. We climbed the stairs to the top and then faced down the Black Hole.<\/p>\n

I sat Aviv on my lap and we shot off into the enveloping darkness. They\u2019d done a good job of painting the tube black; it was so dark that at one point I wasn\u2019t sure we were even moving.<\/p>\n

I kept repeating encouraging words to Aviv.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t this great?\u201d I said. \u201cNot too fast. Not too scary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aviv giggled nervously.<\/p>\n

The slide sped up. Faintly lit stars appeared on the side, illuminating our faces. Aviv still looked tentative. Then the path dropped suddenly. I was thrust to my back as we sped up with a wicked start. I struggled to regain a sitting position which I knew would slow us down.<\/p>\n

The stars faded and now arrows pointing backward zipped by, as if to say \u201cyou\u2019re going the wrong way, turn back.\u201d Right, like that was going to happen. We were locked into an R-rated version of Mr. Toad\u2019s Wild Ride. I envied the big kids at Disneyland with their safety-tested family fun. Another twist, another lurching turn and then\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026we were out. Back in the normalcy of daylight. Aviv and I both caught our breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was great!\u201d I said, not entirely sure of myself. \u201cWasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

But there was no question for Aviv: he had a huge grin on his face that said loud and clear that while he may not have enjoyed every moment, he was darn proud. He had faced his fears\u2026and come through with flying colors (or lack of color, this was after all the Black Hole” ).<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you ready for the Kamikaze now?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

Aviv looked at me like I was crazy.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on then\u2026\u201d I said. And the three of us got back in line, fears faced, to do the Black Hole again.<\/p>\n

Brian Blum is a journalist and entrepreneur based in Jerusalem. He writes the weekly column <\/i>This Normal Life (www.ThisNormalLife.com<\/a>). His latest startup <\/i>Bloggerce (www.bloggerce.com<\/a>) provides online publishing solutions for budding bloggers. Contact him at <\/i>brianblum@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With his older brother and sister gallivanting around California presumably having a grand time on an extended summer vacation with their grandparents, we knew we had to spend some extra quality time with our seven-year-old Aviv who had been \u201cleft behind\u201d in Israel. This need was made abundantly clear during a phone call Aviv had<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":49146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\nFacing Our Fears - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While he may not have enjoyed every moment, he was darn proud. 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