Take the Leap & Jump

Fervid with excitement, fellow first-timers filled the room with enthusiasm better than the two pieces of outdoor furniture across from the wall with open windows.

Address, phone number, and emergency contact — typical boxes on any questionnaire. 

After some scrolling…

…and more scrolling…

appeared boxes most people don’t fill. 

In order to proceed, all boxes — especially the infrequently encountered — must be filled out in completion. 

Filling out the sheet didn’t take much time. My suggestion is to skim the portion with hypotheticals for similar timeliness. Reading this section in full would not be wise. As someone who skimmed to the end of each made up scenario, the outcome is all the same — death. 

Once I signed my life away, I completed the check in process. 

The woman who checked me in pointed to the loveseat couches where I would later sit.

Conspicuous in his pace, I didn’t need to ask the man whose reservation was ahead of mine if it was his first time. He made that abundantly clear. Not a floor tile was left untouched — hopefully he wore an Apple Watch to close his rings.

In an effort to ease his nerves, I asked if he was jumping for the first time despite knowing his answer. 

As if I bet money on the matter, I gave him words of encouragement and insisted he had no reason to worry. His train of thought paused as did his pace back and forth.  

“How many jumps do you have?”

“We’re twins…this is my first jump too.” 

He continued to pause, seemingly more perplexed as time passed. 

“How do you deal with the nerves?”

I paused briefly myself. 

“I guess, I don’t really have any.” 

A couple that sat on the other couch joined our conversation. 

I learned that nobody was there to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or special occasion. Trying something new was good enough. 

All of their reservations were booked for an earlier time slot so they jumped before me. 

After they put on their gear, I watched them leave and watched them land in front of the drop zone outside.  

Some landed gracefully. Others not quite. I took mental notes as I aimed for the first kind. 

Graceful or not, each person landed with wide smiles nonetheless. 

“You’re up kid, Tommy’s going to help you put on your gear… he should be here any minute.” 

In less time than that, a man with longish hair and a full face of it walked up to me with a harness I then put on. 

There were no more notes left to take. 

It was time for me to take the test. Unlike tests that require a scantron or a piece of paper, this was rooted in adventure, curiosity, and calculated risk assessment.  

That smile was about to be mine I thought. 

The rotor blades of the helicopter made it hard to hear but I tried my best to answer the questions that Tommy and Starkey had for me as we made our way up.

“You have to be somewhat crazy since this is your first jump and you’re not nervous at all.” 

I chuckled. They did too and then Starkey lifted the doors.

As Tommy and I inched closer to the edge, excitement grew. 

As instructed, I tilted my head into Tommy’s shoulders.  

Before Starkey jumped, I gave him a glance and a thumbs up.

Without a countdown, Tommy and I followed his lead.

No nerves, no fear. 

Skydiving has changed a lot of people's lives. I’m proud to now be part of the population of people who feel this way — it’s certainly a common experience. 

Before my jump, I guessed that I would enjoy the moment like extreme sports I’ve tried in the past but this was unlike those times. 

On land, I’m always feeling uncertain — the  trajectory of my life being a perfect example as to why. 

For a brief moment — thousands of feet above ground — I escaped the feeling. I found myself experiencing the opposite.

The fall itself was a brief moment in time.

Uncertainty was not late to greet me once I was land bound. 

When my friends and family ask about the experience, I jokingly include how I felt more like myself and reassured about my fate than I do anywhere else. However, like all jokes, there’s some truth to that. 

I don’t know what the future looks like for me. 

I don’t even know what I’ll eat for dinner today. 

As of now, I’m taking each day as they come — one at a time. 

One foot in front of the other and one jump at a time. 

Currently, I’m working on long term plans to do away with uncertainty. 

What does this mean? 

Simply put, more leaps and jumps. This is applicable advice to take for anyone facing a similar struggle. 

Like all struggles — similar or not — leaps and jumps will look different but all are worth taking based on my experience. 

Don’t look into the hypotheticals. 

If you want wide smiles, take the damn leap and jump.