Friday, October 24, 2014

Doing Things PART THREE: Jumping into the Sky, bucket list check!


Ok,  I am ALMOST caught up with the blog posts I'm behind on, thank goodness.  My eyes are blurry and I want to escape outside for a bit! :) 

This is a part 3 of a three part blog series.

See here for part 1, girls getaway in Denver, and
here for part 2, running up Vail Summit




 Chris surprised me with sky diving tickets a lonnnnng time ago.  My entire life I had always thought that I wanted to sky dive but when presented with the tickets, I froze. Everything in me suddenly didn't want to skydive anymore.  I think the reason why I thought I had wanted to try it is because I love to live BIG, always wanting to DO things.   I desire to make the most memorable use of every minute.  I've always been that way. I want an entire collection of experiences.  Sky Diving felt like the top dog, the king of all experiences, the classic event on the bucket list.  So I was all in! ....until I actually had a ticket in my hand.

It took me two years to work up the courage to use this ticket.  I listed the tickets for sale on Craig's List, then removed the listing, I went back and forth, back and forth, until one afternoon, I had one of those serious little talks with myself and I decided to just do it, that I wasn't allowed to back down, and that wold be my final answer.

Worry and fear have always been my biggest struggle.  They ride on my back constantly.   I am working hard to overcome this, but it is a real struggle.  Fear builds walls around the big life that I want to live.  Those walls dictate my life and I don't want them to be in charge anymore.  In an effort to fight my fears, I made a choice to push forward with the sky dive jump.  I was ready to battle the exaggerated worry that my mind often entertains.  I need to knock down the walls of worry, releasing the power it has in my life.

Obviously one event, one day, one jump doesn't magically fix my issues.  However, it does give me more strength to push forward and to overcome this battle.  I felt absolute elation after making the decision to sky dive, and then following through!  You have no.idea.in.the.world. how afraid I was of this jump!  But once I found freedom in the air, I experienced one of the greatest feelings of my life.   This elated feeling stayed with me for days!   I suppose that is what happens anytime we push beyond and anytime we break through the negative things that bind us down.

Joy. Freedom.Excitement.


For my first sky dive jump, we drove to Moab, Utah, the Disneyland of outdoor recreation.  It is gorgeous there!  The plane ride up was a bonus scenic air tour!  My very dear friend, Kristen, came along for her first jump too.  Kristen was the PERFECT person to have with me.  I trust her fully.  She makes me feel relaxed and comfortable.  Kristen is also the one who raced with me when I ran my first half marathon!  This is just the sort of thing I want to be with her during.


Here is the video of my JUMP!
And below the video is a collection of photos.





Getting lessons on how to jump out of a plane!


Gearing up to go...



Ok, let's do this!





The plane is SO small!  We sat on the floor.


Going up for our scenic air tour!



The second the airplane door opened, my heart fell to my stomach.


JUMP!
Ohh emma gee


The freefall was so fast!  
Then the parachute opened in a quick minute.









 My skydiving experience was an unlikely mix of terror and peace.  All my nervous emotion and tense fear quickly collided with astonishing peace when the parachute opened in the wide open sky, with not a person around nor a sound heard.  The expansive views of blue sky and the ruggedly beautiful terrain of Moab swept peace throughout my body, mixing right in with the fear and adrenaline.  I've never knew a feeling like this existed.   And I will remember this day for the rest of my life. 


Me!


Kristen!


We did it!
I am so thankful to have this girl in my life.
We have a big handful of other things we hope to experience together too! 


All four of my most-loved boys were waiting for me on the ground!
Thank you Chris for providing this once in a lifetime experience for me. 


Afterwards, we went out for frozen yogurt to celebrate...


We celebrate overcoming the fears the hold us back in life,
We celebrate the opportunity to live big,
We celebrate the beauty that surrounds us,
the experiences that grow us,
the memories that ground us,
the friendships that unite us,
and we celebrate 
the excitement that powers us.


See Also:
Reverse Bucket List: 30 things I've Done BEFORE I was 30
and...
Never Stop Doing Your Dreams: An AFTER 30 bucket list
My thirties have been my favorite so far!  I'm already putting a lot of checks on this list and I'm only two years into the decade!


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1 comment:

b. said...

I honestly don't know how you did this... I hope you never do it again! LOL. I'm sure there is a thrill though that is unexplainable! I can feel it in my stomach just thinking about it. I'm glad you're alive. :)