Feeling adventurous.

"Serious photographers...," I heard my two professors say as we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher. After that point, I only half listened because I am not a 'serious photographer', I am more of a novice. The gist of their speech was to warn us about the dangers of veering off the path up on the cliffs. The appealing part of climbing over the barrier is the amazing photo op it provides. Behind the barrier, on the safe side, I captured a wonderful snapshot that shows how huge these cliffs are.

Even with my lovely picture, I was not satisfied. Maybe it was because I was told not to, or maybe I just felt like living on the edge, I mean, this was a once in a lifetime chance. I wanted the experience. As we walked up the path, we were greeted with a few warning signs:

Passing the signs made me a little uneasy, as did people in our group talking about recent deaths from people crossing the barrier. We kept climbing and eventually came to a part of the barrier where people were crossing over to the dangerous side. 

I hesitated. I'm not a graceful person. One wrong move and I'm history. But, when in Rome...

I climbed over, and I am so happy I did. It was even more breathtaking than I thought. Don't get me wrong, many people cross over the barrier, but not as many as are on the safe track. Those obeying the rules herded like cattle up the path while we chose forbidden ground to tread more freely. The wind was running, trying to get to the roaring ocean quickly.

It was freeing, in a way. It felt good to do something unexpected. While this whole trip has been an adventure, this felt like a mini yet super amazing adventure. And the pictures from the other side were fabulous! I got a beautiful portrait of Autumn on the cliff.

For me, the takeaway was this: Sometimes, you should break the rules. When you have a once in lifetime opportunity, don't let anything hold you back. There should be no barriers. Enjoy all experiences and make the most out of them.

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