60 seconds. 14,000ft. The rest of your life.

Wheels up. We're getting some altitude. The feeling, indescribable. The visuals, incomprehensible. The thought of the next 5 minutes, fearful. Life takes you places. Life throws challenges at you. Sometimes you just need to challenge yourself. Maybe not life and death challenges, but hey, it was a group rate. We're in the plane. We get to 14,000 feet. The door opens and you see nothing but clear blue sky and white puffy clouds. The air comes rushing in. You can't breathe. Your mind can't wrap around the thought of jumping out of a plane. The doorway to the oblivion. You sure as hell aren't going up. It's a straight fall down. The first person out, Bobbi flies right on past me. The second person out, Megan's goes by and I grab her leg just to grab onto something. Kelly my tandem pulls me over to where Megan is about to jump out. She turns to me and says, "Wait!! What's your name?" Just as she falls out the door, "Oh yeah, Bobbbbbbbbb...." I mean, who even does that? For a millisecond my mind got a brief reprieve before the jump. Then it's my turn. Last of the 20 or so jumpers. Out of our minds. Into our heads. Into our hearts. And with one flying leap, we're out of the door. Complete silence. Wind going past me at 180mph. I can't hear. I am floating. Nothing can hurt me here. Nothing to think about here. Only the wind and clouds tossing at me. I am doing the unexplained. Flying further down....13,000, 10,000, 8,000, 5,000....parachute release and yanked back towards space. We glide. I can't talk. Pan to the video being taken. Screaming. Yelling. Joy. Amazement. Living. Left a lot on that plane. Starting something new once I land. We jump into life and fly towards our dreams....


In the world through which I travel, I am endlessly creating myself. - Frantz Fanon