I hadn't Heard Of Him Before....

It had been advertised on TV weeks before and I’d just thought, “Silly man!” Some of us had talked about it a work and at home too. Then finally this was the day he was going to walk over the Grand Canyon on a wire! But why would anyone want to, I just assume he had debts or no one who loved him in his sad life! I knew nothing at all about him, for I’d never heard about him before....
My Son said, he was stopping up to watch him, I told him he couldn’t, as he had school in the morning. He was adamant!
I thought, it was clearly impossible! What happened if he sneezed or a bird flew past his face? It would be all over! Foolish, silly man! He annoyed me a bit, I didn’t want to give him the time of day....
Then it seemed too quickly it was Sunday night! THE night! It would be 1am our time, in my ‘youth’ that would have been nothing and still get up at the crack of dawn, but now I’m much much older and I start work at eight!! Our Son Daniel had forgotten and had gone to bed at eleven. Earlier that day, I’d read about him on-line in the newspapers, I was shocked to know he was married with three children! I’d kill him, if I was his Wife! How can he do that to his family! But maybe tightrope walkers must marry tight rope walkers! In the brief TV advert he’d said, “He didn’t want to die,” he could have fooled me!
I was also informed from the paper on-line, that it would be a ten second delay in case he fell... In case? And that he wasn’t actually crossing the Grand Canyon as they hadn’t given permission, for if he was to plummet to the Earth below, it would bring bad feelings to the place... but Grand Canyon or not it is still, deep and wide!!!
So, I’d got to know him abit more, that his Great Grandfather Karl fell doing his walk, when I read that, I watch the fall, many times and showed my Daughter. Nic Wallenda said, he’d trained how to catch the wire if he fell off! So I watched Karl Wallenda again, he’d held onto the wire, but been seventy three maybe his strength had left him. But reading more about the family, Karl’s family hadn’t set up the wire that day, but now only Wallenda family members set the wire up!
Then it was 12.45am my Husband Paul came off the computer and sat in the lounge and said to me, “you might as well stay up and watch it now, it’s on in fifteen minutes.” That’s easy for him to say, but I got work in the morning. One o’clock arrived and I expected him to step onto the wire! But no. Info about him came on and on and so at one twenty I said to Paul, “I got to go to bed, leave me a note to let me know if he has made it, so I can see it first thing when I come down stairs”
I was still awake when Paul came to bed at two fifteen. He said, “he has not started the walk yet, and I have just found out that it will end at 3.30am!” So I told him, when I got up in the morning I’d leave him a note to let him know if he made it across or not.
As the laptop takes too long I went on the quickest internet service that I know and that was my mobile phone. My heart beating fast I typed in his name and the first thing I saw was the words he, “he did it” the article went on to say, he did it in twenty two minutes and 54 seconds.
The following evening it came on TV at an earlier time I missed the beginning, he was about half way across I sat down and watched him, wow it was amazing!! What nerve he must have and with the cameras on his body, we had a bird’s eye view! I would not be able to walk seven steps on that wire.
When I am afraid I pray, all along his walk across the wire, he prayed, and worshiped as there was a microphone attached to him, every word he spoke was heard loud and clear by us all, around the world, who watched. Yet even though I knew he made it across safe I wanted him to concentrate on what he was doing. He was certainly multi tasking, balancing, walking on a wire, talking to Jesus. I kept thinking what happens if he falls off, who would be to blame, him or Jesus! Jesus might have thought, who told you to go up there without a safety net. And when he stooped down as the winds were high, his Dad’s words of comfort was in his ears, then there was the helicopter swirling around him, I thought the winds from the helicopter blades would put him off balance, but they didn’t and what if it distracted him! But he practices in high wind and rain and he is obviously used to the helicopter.
A few steps from the end, he went on one knee and blew a kiss and thanked all those who believed in him (what a good time to do it) then with a few more steps to go he ran to the finish ‘line’. He kissed the ground and hugged his Wife and kids. The two reporters working there that day congratulated, Nic and asked him what he wanted to cross next! I thought that was unfair! He wasn’t even allowed to recover from the biggest ordeal of his young Life! Good for him though for he had his answer ready.
I felt I got to know him a bit better and liked him; I was pleased I didn’t see it live. I would have had no nails left. I wonder how he will die, but none of us know the date of that for ourselves; this guy could pass away at an old age in his sleep or get hit by a bus in two weeks! It’s not what you or I would do, but we all know people who have died much younger than Nic Wallenda! I hadn't heard of him until three weeks ago, not many people know your name or mine. Over 200 countries would not send reporters with cameras to see you or me. Not only have I heard of him now but so has my kids! What an achievement! So, I wish him all the best for today and the future.

Well done lad!