Have I ever mentioned how I’m scared of heights? Actually, it’s more like a fear of falling. Even watching actors in movies come perilously close to a cliff edge makes me nervous. And flying in airplanes? Well, I’m becoming braver the older I get, but I still get butterflies.

So last weekend John and I went with friends to an indoor rock climbing place. It was our first time. We rented harnesses and got a lesson in belaying. This was a new concept to me. You work in a team of two. One person knots the rope to their harness. This rope goes all the way up to the top of the climbing wall, loops around a metal bar, and falls back down and is hooked to a special pulley on the other person’s harness. So you’re both attached to the same rope. As the climber climbs, the other person belays. This means he controls the amount of slack in the rope and acts as an anchor. If the climber lets go, he won’t fall far. The belayer ensures the safety of the climber.

But the climber has to trust the belayer. We started on the easy walls, where the grips are large and easy to grip. But the higher I got the more I found myself calling down to John, “You still got me?”

And he always did. I enjoyed the physical challenge of climbing. But I couldn’t stop myself from feeling afraid the higher I went. My friend Alicia gave some good advice after her first climb of the night (she’s also a little afraid of heights). She said, “I was as scared as heck, but I just kept going. I knew if I didn’t push through it, I would never make it.”

So that’s what I did. Pushed through the fear. And it was awesome to hit the high metal bar and realize I made it all the way. And once you reach the top you can sit back in your harness and let your partner release the rope and guide you back down to the ground. It’s like you’re flying.

The other nifty thing we did that night was try a new restaurant. We were going to Olive Garden, but it was packed with a 45-minute wait, and we only had 45 minutes to eat. So we walked across the parking lot to a Japanese place that we’d never tried. The hostess asked us if we were there for sushi or hibachi, which made me realize how uncultured we are, as I had no idea what hibachi was, but I knew I didn’t want sushi. So we said, “That other one.” And we were seated right away in front of a big steel grill.

Turns out that you order your food and the chef prepares it right in front of you, fresh. Call me nerdy, but I thought it was really fun. He did a little performing for us, setting things on fire and such, and tossing shrimp pieces into my mouth (I caught at least 50% of them). And the food! So good. John had NY steak and chicken, and I had filet mignon and chicken, and that it was so tender and flavorful. And did I mention fresh?

So I basically conquered the world that night.

Fear of heights? Check.

Ignorance of hibachi? Check.

Fun time had? Check.