We all have goals we wish to accomplish within our lifetime. You might store those hopes in your mind, type them out in your notes app, or jot them down on a page in your journal. This past summer, I had the opportunity to check one of the most daring activities off my list… I voluntarily jumped out of an airplane!
Waiting
The day I went flying was full of unique and clashing feelings. Everything was so exciting and new. All the gear we put on and the safety information sounded great while we still had our feet on the ground. My friends and I were savoring the day by bouncing around and watching other people parachuting down. Then, our assigned plane rolled into position. As everyone piled aboard, my perspective shifted to wondering, what have I gotten myself into? There was no time to consider backing out, the engine ignited, mixing with the sounds of farewells and jokes from the instructors.Â
Climbing
Climbing. Wow, that is a long way down. We continued climbing higher in altitude. You mean we go this high above the clouds? The instructor strapped to my back put her watch in front of us. It read 12,000 feet. My heart rate increased as a door on the side of the airplane flew open. A warping sound accompanied the chilly air that flooded into the cabin. I made eye contact with my friend which caused anxiously thrilled smiles to form on our faces. We were seriously doing this! Watching my friend launch out of a moving airplane before me made my palms sweaty. My instructor scooted us to the edge of the plane. We had our feet dangling out into the seemingly blue nothingness. I took a moment to look down and breathe before leaning my head back on my instructor’s shoulder and getting tossed into the air.Â
Jumping
The wind rushed against my face in a way I have never felt before. Skydiving is unlike anything else the world offers. I opened my eyes and a sound resembling a laugh and a scream burst out of my mouth. We were flying! The nearly 60 seconds of freefall was full of adrenaline. One’s body questions whether it is falling to its doom while your brain is exploding with the joy of experiencing something so unknown. I find the word, “freefall” to be curious in the fact that it did not feel like falling, but more like flying downward.Â
Floating
Then, the parachute deployed, and we floated. We soared next to the puffiest white cloud. I could smell the dew it held, and it even showed us a little flash of a rainbow before we drifted on. Skydiving supplies the perspective an airplane does, minus the barrier of a window. This aspect makes it so meaningful. I will look at a cloud with much more love now! Birds too, they have an amazing habitat in the sky. Drifting through the sky was my favorite part. My instructor had me pull on a handle attached to the parachute, and we spun in circles. It felt like a rollercoaster times ten!
Landing
We were the last of our group to touch back down, but once we did, I made my way out of the parachute that was now acting as a blanket, and I threw my arms in the air as if I had just won something. In a way, I had. I pursued a dream and made such beautiful memories while doing so! If you do not think you can do this, let me tell you: if I can, so can you. You are capable of pursuing new adventures that are outside of your comfort zone and checking goals off your list.
Thank you, Skydive Chicago for this opportunity!