Free Falling

I jumped out of a plane this week.

I made this voluntary decision to put my life in the hands of a stranger at 9,500 feet in the sky. More than 100 times before it happened, I kept telling myself:

This is ridiculous.

I thought about just “chickening out”.

I debated giving into my fears, and bailing on the whole idea.

I knew this would mean I would have to face a bit of ridicule and possibly some regret, but those situations seemed tolerable – when compared to having to parachute out of this rickety tin-box with wings and a bunch of strangers.

What was I thinking?

I could feel “Hutch” (my tandem jumper) pulling at my straps and tightening our harnesses, while anxiously gazing out the plane window. Secretly, I was hoping that the clouds would move faster than our tiny plane, and we’d have to forego our risky adventure.

But the altitude was steadily climbing and we weren’t stopping. The overly enthusiastic camera man only continued to get more excited. I continued to contemplate my decisions while hoping the whole thing wouldn’t happen at all, until suddenly – everything was interrupted by this overwhelming blast of fresh air.

The time had come.

My heart was racing, while “Hutch” was signalling me to get my ass outside. Before I knew it, I was standing outside the plane, staring at patches of green and yellow beneath me.

“FUCK. What have I done? What if I die? Holy shit, I’m going to die. This is insanity. This guy better know what he’s doing. What if the parachute doesn’t work? What if we slip and fall and hit our head on the wing? What if I fuck this up somehow and hurt myself? What if the harnesses aren’t tight enough?What if I die? My mom will be devastated… my dad will be crushed. I can’t do this. I might puke. I think I’m going to puke. I’m definitely going to puke”

It’s amazing how many negative thoughts your brain can conjure up under pressure.

And yet, within seconds…

 

I was flying!

Aside from a slightly uncomfortable harness and the unexpected rush of cold air and the dizzy/nauseous feeling I got when “Hutch” spun us around, it was pretty rad.

Also: I didn’t die. I didn’t get hurt. The parachute worked, “Hutch” knew exactly what he was doing. I didn’t puke. My mom thought I was crazy, but she thought it was very cool.

I survived. I walked away smiling.

All the horrible, awful thoughts I had, never actually happened.

I conquered my fears. 

I know I’m not the only person who’s ever decided to go skydiving. (Heck, this wasn’t even my idea in the first place)

I know there are a lot of other absolutely intense experiences that many repeatedly endure.

The point of me telling you this story is this:

You are capable of doing incredible things.

Things that seem unreasonable, unbelievable, impossible.

That includes making bold decisions, living on the edge, stepping outside of your comfort zone for minutes of excitement, and dominating your most overwhelming fears.

You can do it.

Challenge yourself to make every dream come true.

Encourage yourself to embark on all the crazy ideas you could ever imagine.

Overcome every moment of doubt that creeps into your brain.

Believe in yourself!

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” ~ Goethe.