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On the night of June 15, 2012, the world held its breath as Nik Wallenda attempted to walk across the actual falls at Niagara. He was successful, and the 1,800-feet-long walk put him in the history books.
But it’s where he walked the following day that truly defines him.
Nik Wallenda calls himself an “aerialist.” As a seventh-generation member of The Flying Wallendas, it’s not uncommon to see Nik flying high through the air trying to accomplish some death-defying feat of acrobatic entertainment. Throughout his illustrious career, he’s walked a tightrope across Baltimore Harbor, hung from a helicopter – by his teeth! – over the skies of Branson, MO, and walked between skyscrapers in Chicago.
So his bid to walk across Niagara Falls in the summer of 2012 was the natural next step in his career. After working on the event for a couple of years, the time finally came for him to step out onto the wire. Crossing 1,800 feet from America into Canada – with his U.S. passport in a jacket pocket – Wallenda took calculated steps factoring in the mist, the wind, and the roar of the waterfalls. Finally, 25 tense minutes later, Wallenda stepped off the wire and into the history books.
It was a glamorous walk, for sure. Aired by ABC, his terrifying feat was witnessed live by millions of viewers around the world. But in his memoir entitled Balance, Wallenda tells readers about the ordinary walk he took the very next day.
Keeping the faith is all that keeps me balanced. If I didn’t believe, I’d fall in any number of ways. By believing, my spirit stays afloat.
The day after the walk over Niagara Falls I keep the faith by returning to Goat Island on the U.S. side to help pick up garbage. I’m careful not to alert any of the publicists surrounding the event that I’m doing this because my purpose is not self-aggrandizement. My purpose is simply to help clean up after myself. The huge crowd left a great deal of trash behind, and I feel compelled to pitch in. Besides, after the inordinate amount of attention I sought and received, I need to keep myself grounded. Three hours of cleaning up debris is good for my soul. Humility does not come naturally to me. So if I have to force myself into situations that are humbling, so be it. Just as I dug the hole that held my anchor on the Canadian side, I make it a point to refill the hole. I know that I need to get down on my hands and knees like everyone else.
“That’s just vain humility,” a detractor tells me. “You do it because it makes you look good.”
“I do it,” I say, “because it’s a way to keep from tripping. As a follower of Jesus, I see Him washing the feet of others. I do it because if I don’t serve others I’ll be serving nothing but my ego.”
So, what was his most important walk? The one he took in front of millions of TV viewers…or the private one he took to serve others?
Resource’s Origin:
Balance: A Story of Faith, Family, and Life on the Line by Nik Wallenda and David Ritz. FaithWords, 2013, Pages 207-208.
Topics Illustrated Include:
Celebrities
Danger
Entertainment
Humility
Jesus
Lifestyle
Pride
Selfless
Serving
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
