Falling With Style

 I have a lot to share.

June was a very busy month.

But first, let me tell you about my birthday.

I turned 40 this July.

Ordinarily, I don't do much for my birthday, aside from

treating myself to something tasty or something I love.

But, this was a milestone birthday.

A nice round number.

Mid life and all that.

So, I decided to knock another thing off my list.

Skydiving.

Statistically, skydiving is safe enough.

But there is still a very real risk of injury or death.

I figured, I've made it to 40, if something goes horribly wrong,

well, I've had a good run. So let's do it!

I drove to Ottawa, Illinois, and made my way to the little airport

of Skydive Chicago to make my jump.

After checking in and signing many, many pages of legalese,

 I was shown a short video, half of which was

a reminder that I've signed away any legal recourse if something

goes wrong and that, yes, jumping out of a plane is a

very dangerous activity. The rest of the video described what to 

expect and what to do when you leave the plane.

But, like I said, I've had a good run, and my odds of survival are

actually quite good, so let's do it! Can't scare me!

My jump was a tandem jump. Which meant that I was attached to

an experienced jumper by a harness clipped to the front of his harness.

Got my harness on, an altimeter strapped to my wrist, and

given goggles to protect my eyes, and we went out to the runway to

board the little plane.

There were other jumpers in the plane too, about 13 of us all together.

The other people were experienced, and were either jumping as small groups

or alone. We waited for them to all make their exits first, then we scooched over to the

door, my legs dangling outside of the plane.

It's cold up there. And the rush of wind from the speed of the plane whips past fast.

I had barely a second or two to really register what was going on when my

tandem jumper pushed us out!

Bye bye plane!

Trying to breathe while trying to remember what to do.

It all happens very fast!

Get your hands up, curve your body like a banana.

Watch the clouds go zipping by so fast!

I didn't feel much except for the air rushing at me, 

making it hard to grab a breath. Before I knew it, my

guide had pulled the cord and the parachute opened above us.

The air stopped coming at me so fast, I could breathe normally again.

And got an amazing view of the ground below!

After we got situated, my guide let me control the chute a little bit.

He showed me how to make it spin, how to speed up and how to brake.

I made a fast spin, then he took over again, and we glided down to earth.

We made a rather gentle landing on the green grass, 

while I tried to take in what just happened.

The whole process, from harnessing up, to boarding the plane,

to flying up to altitude, to jumping out and landing, took

about an hour. And it is an exhilarating experience!

Back on terra firma.

If skydiving is something you've been considering, all I can

say is: DO IT! 

Life is too short to sit on the couch and dream about what you want.

If it's something you really want, you just gotta harness up and make the jump.

I would absolutely do this again, but if I never get another chance,

no one can take the experience away from me.

Who wants to go with me next time?! 

😁