Just a few photos (not feline) for you all...

[rita]

Great Pictures!

Thanks for sharing. I always wanted to try but never did, my brother jumps for fun and hubby did when he was in the Army.

 

[kev]

I have flown in excess of 360 times, every thing from a 1937 airplane in New York, to concorde and not once have the impulse to get on the outside and jump.... I admire anyone that can do it and if I was - would only do it for charity - may be breast cancer etc as I feel very strong about that and would raise what ever I could.
Personally, I like terra firmer - more firmer, less terror.....
Kev
one day maybe I will get this impulse to be pushed out, until then, will stick to the easy stuff, flying the full size ones of which I have an extensive list.....

 

[kev]

Thinking about it, Iwas flying at gananoque in eastern canada years ago, and watching the students learning it all. When the time came to jump, I watched one person and I realised how fast sound travels as I heard him scream oh dear of words like that all the way until his feet touched the ground. he swore a massive amount and turned the canadian air blue and I know it was not all French he was saying. He landed safe and then through the abject look of terror imprinted in his face, he went and did it four more times that day... Definanately a case of, barriers down, lights flashing, no train coming !!!!!
It was a great day though, I took gold at the free flight champs in the event I flew in and had the medal presented to me by the Canadian team manager. No other than my father. Kinda strange to stand there and shake his hand, then give him a hug... and in the background, that immortal sound of that kid jumping again....

 

[mamacat]

Originally Posted by noni

And yes, I'm scared of heights, I'm not fond of planes, and I don't particularly care much for falling. So why skydive? Because there is a freedom inexpressible as you're dancing through the sky. An immediacy which cannot be captured on the ground - there is no past, no future; simply and only a NOW. It is a vital, true expression of living in the moment. It brings to me a soul-joy that I've never found anywhere else. I am whole, more me than at any time other. I am complete, in touch with something so far bigger than myself as I sail under my parachute, looking at the world spread below my feet. I dance on the breath of God, play with the falcons and touch clouds. That experience, that joy far far outweighs any fear I have about planes, falling, or heights.

Wow Michele, I so admire you for pushing past your fears and doing something so courageous. You are one amazing person. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. It inspires me to try to be braver in my own life. I still don't think I could jump out of a plane

--but it makes me think of all the times I don't take a chance because I am too afraid, and what great experiences I might be missing out on because I don't try. But when something seems "too hard," or "too risky", or "too scary", I can just think about you jumping out of that plane, "dancing on the breath of God." Thank you!

 

[noni]

I respect what you do and admire you for it.....but i at this point have not conqured my fear of flying, falling, heights or death

Know what? Lots of people have fears. Know what else? If you're gonna die, you are gonna die. After jumping for about a year, I fell getting out of the bathtub. I broke two ribs, and bonked my head very badly. Had I not taken the fall the way I did, I could've knocked myself out, and drowned. I've also faced cancer since I started to jump; cervical cancer, and two surgeries later, I understand. If death comes knocking, we can't do a thing but answer the door.

Stephanie said:

It inspires me to try to be braver in my own life. I still don't think I could jump out of a plane --but it makes me think of all the times I don't take a chance because I am too afraid, and what great experiences I might be missing out on because I don't try. But when something seems "too hard," or "too risky", or "too scary", I can just think about you jumping out of that plane, "dancing on the breath of God." Thank you!

You're more than welcome.

Many people say that I'm "brave." Perhaps I am. I don't feel brave. The fear is there, each and every jump. But what I've understood at some fundamental level is that what will be will be, whether it is a shower, a car accident, the flu, or skydiving. It just will be.

I look at it more in terms of faith. I have plenty of faith in myself that I can handle something if it goes wrong; I've had a malfunction on a parachute that would have killed me if I had tried to land it. I used the reserve chute, and landed fine. Was I scared? Oh heavens yes. But what it taught me was that some things I can do something about; and some you can't.

And my faith is strong enough that I know if it's my time to die, there's not a darn thing I can do about it; I will die.

I might as well enjoy what I've got right now - and that's my life. I work hard, and I play hard. I am in sales. I've learned that the biggest risk is not taking one. To live "safely" and "comfortably" means for me that I'm not playing 100%, which means I'm not coming close to what I can be. I'm not coming close to my potential as a person, let alone as a sales person.

So for me, my skydiving is a reminder of life, and of how immense and amazing it can be, if I play 100%. How much would I miss if I only played at 50%? That's not a cost I want to pay...so I play at the highest level I can.

When you think about it, really consider it, I risk my life to play. So everything else pales in comparison. If the file doesn't get done, it's NOT life or death. Same with the phone call. Same with the grocery shopping, laundry, a date...it's all about understanding when it's life and death, and when it's not. If something doesn't go right in my daily life, it's really o.k., there's a chance to get it right the second time...'cause ain't no one gonna die if the file didn't get closed. Their anger is not going to kill me. Maybe make me a bit uncomfortable (and not even really that), but it won't kill me.

Makes living a whole lot less crazy, stressful, and so much less worry about things when one understands that it's not life or death....know what I mean?

Just my thoughts about it.

Best-
Michele

 

[mamacat]

Originally Posted by noni

Makes living a whole lot less crazy, stressful, and so much less worry about things when one understands that it's not life or death....know what I mean?

I certainly do. It's something I try to remind myself of almost every day. So well-said Michele.

 

[palisades]

i love flying but to me you just dont jump out of a perfectly good plane. i guess i'm just chicken but really i'm okay with that. a good friend of mine keeps jumping and he wants me to go with but i dont see it happening. he says the same kind of things you are about the experience and i can understand that but still. i play hard with everything i do and don't worry so much about the small stuff anyways so i figure theres no need to go and throw myself out of a perfectly good plane.

those are great pictures by the way. do you have any others?

 

[sar]

WOW!!

What brilliant pictures! That must have been such an exciting experience!
Are you into extreme sports? (if that explains it correctly?!) I would love to do skydiving!! It looks so exciting and a little scary at the same time!!

 

[adymarie]

Skydiving is something I have always wanted to try, but I can't convince anyone to go with me! Looks like you love doing it.

 

[noni]

Sar asked:

Are you into extreme sports?

Nope. Which is why this is so interesting. I started three years ago, when I was 36. So it's definitely something absolutely unexpected. I hadn't even really wanted to do it before I did it, and spent the first 30 or so jumps wondering when it would get fun, or if I should quit. Thankfully, both of those questions have been answered: it's very fun, and I'm not going to quit. But it's surprising that I ever started in the first place.

Originally Posted by adymarie

Skydiving is something I have always wanted to try, but I can't convince anyone to go with me! Looks like you love doing it.

Know what? You go on and do it by yourself. I did; I knew no-one when I started jumping, not one single friend did it, and it was all by myself that I went jumping. You will be in the air without your friends anyway, so why not? Go on and give it a shot. Should you need a referral to a dropzone in your area, let me know, and I'll be happy to research it for you. Deal? But only if YOU want to do it. This is not something one starts because of someone else; this is a very personal choice. Most people won't ever go, and those that do go usually only go once. It really becomes a personal journey, and one which can only be started and completed by yourself. So make your decision about it for yourself, and carry it out. It's all good....whatever decision it is, it's fine and perfect.

And yes, I love it. No doubt, no question. Just simple, pure love.

Best-
Michele