The body completely tightened because of the fear. The adrenaline taking over each and every of my body. Seconds later. Freedom. Happiness. Skydiving for the first time has been and probably will be one of the most complex and recomforting experiences I will ever have the pleasure of doing throughout my entire life.
Who hasn’t told their friends that they would like to skydive at some point? That’s how the idea of doing it came up, in my case at least.
In principle, I blamed the money for the impossibility of making a jump. Later, when I found that the price was not prohibitive, the “culprit” was the lack of a skydiving place nearby.
Finally, after discovering that a one-hour drive could lead me to do what I claimed it was my dream, I discovered the real obstacle, fear.
Time kept moving forward and I kept excusing myself from what I had previously mentioned. Excuses and more excuses that covered up a thought that was always on my mind. What if the parachute doesn’t open up in time? Would I be able to jump out of the plane if I had the courage to get on?
Little by little I convinced myself that if I didn’t want to do it, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Skydiving isn’t an activity everyone dares to do. But then, why was I so curious about doing it? There was no desire to boast of bravery. It was a real desire to feel the adrenaline rushing through my whole body.
Suddenly, something happened, something made me change my mind. A little car crash. Nothing serious. Not a single wound. Not a scratch. But the story of the accident is a different story. What matters is the feeling that this event created. It made me think deeply about the jump and to question myself.
Do you really want to jump from 3000 meters with a parachute? The answer was yes. A big and resounding yes. You never know where danger might lurk. You can’t live in fear and that incident made me realize it. Something clicked in my brain and the fear passed away as courage awoke from its lethargy.
After a very short time, I finally decided to hire a tandem jump from 3000 meters high at a nearby aerodrome. I didn’t want anyone to come with me. I wanted to live my dream selfishly. An hour of driving full of loneliness and thoughts that were again haunting my mind. The “what if’s” I thought forgotten came up again.
I kept assuming that it was normal thinking, though. In fact, it was. It is quite logical to fear something you’re going to do for the first time. Even the first is scary as it is not known if it will be done correctly. Throwing yourself off the plane has more challenges than a simple kiss. Or maybe not. But again, that’s another story.
Once at the skydiving aerodrome, all doubts were dispelled. My instructor and jumping buddy provided me with the necessary equipment and explained everything I needed to know once I was in the air. The summary is simple. I had to confine myself to trusting him and enjoying the experience.
As soon as I put my first foot in the plane and that heavy mass of iron began to rise, I noticed how the adrenaline was beginning to flow. A silly smile took hold of my face and I couldn’t erase it until a long time later. The moment was approaching and the smile was still there.
2500, 2700, 2900, 3000 meters. The door opens. Wait a minute. Fears are appearing again. What if it doesn’t open up? Jump! But what if I put my life to an end just for a whim? And my instructor woke me up. Come on, buddy, it is time to jump! He brought me back to the real world with that simple phrase and encouraged me to jump.
I am not able to calculate how long the jump lasted. I remember the adrenaline. I remember the empty scream. I remember the euphoria. But I don’t remember fear. The fear disappeared. The speed at which we rushed in the void meant that the fear was not fast enough to catch up with us. The parachute opened.
Calm. Interior peace. Happiness. A lot of happiness. The minutes of descent with the parachute opened were satisfaction minutes, enjoyment minutes, joy minutes, anything but negative feelings.
Soft landing. I scream. Satisfaction scream. And a huge feeling of gratitude invaded my body. Gratitude with my instructor, thanks to whom I managed to fulfill one of the dreams of my life. Skydiving, I will be back!
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