World Traveler and Thinker: April 2010

I must admit the blog has been thin and lacking of content over the winter. I’ve been adrift amidst a creative wasteland which has left me with no desire to post uninspired prose. Ultimately I have no reason to complain for as always, I am a very lucky man, but satisfaction is an elusive thing when life becomes too ordinary. Within these segments of life I become contemplative and downright melancholy. Sometimes even a bit edgy but I usually hide it pretty well. Fortunately, I will not tolerate such inner banter for long and find respite in challenging myself with something new and head out the door for another adventure.

For the most part I’ve found myself plodding through a pile of nuts and bolts all winter long as I’ve put my head down and spun my wheels for the sake of the all American dollar. The work has been ok but the payoffs not as good as hoped. Most of all,,,,, time has evaporated into a mist of months passed in the span of what seems like just a few daze. You see, I am a creative adventure loving man with a touch of ADD. When life becomes too routine, I’m not really myself.

So, when life throws me into a Funk I look for a way out. The exit could be as simple as going to new places and meeting new people, or, something more adventurous like Skydiving.

When my new friend Lauren asked if I’d like to jump out of a plane I was immediately interested. The simple thought of doing it both scared and intrigued me. I couldn't really see a way out of it. The appeal was quite strong. Although I had jumped out of a plane on one occasion, years ago, it was not a free fall. It was a static line jump which means my chute was deployed immediately after I jumped by a cord attached to the plane. Military style. Free fall is a much different experience and was on the list of things I must see or do. I hadn’t checked anything off since returning from Asia last December. Ok, Time to get back into the game.

You have 3 kinds of people when it comes to Skydiving. Type 1 would never even consider it. Type 2 shows interest but weighs the pros and cons and may or may not go through with it. Type 3 doesn’t give it a second thought and just goes for it with reckless abandon.

I’m not the reckless type but I’m also far from being the type to sit and watch while others go for it. I guess you can say I’m a Type 2 with a tendency to go through with it. I like to weigh the pros, cons, ins, outs, ups, downs, sideways, diagonal ways, hexagonal ways etc. etc. before making certain decisions. The downside is that I can be indecisive at times. The upside is once I make a decision and take the first step I’m good to go. Once I’m on my way I’m usually quite calm because I’ve already worked through whatever it was I needed to work through.

What really appealed to me about this opportunity is that I'd be accompanied by friends, mostly Type 3’s. I figured it would be a really great experience to be shared. However, I knew I’d have to go through a process in order to commit.

I arrived at the jump center 2 hours before everyone else. My approach was to first case the establishment, talk to people who had just jumped, check out equipment, and watch the planes but mostly to suss out the vibe. I figured by time the others got there all I’d need is a little peer pressure and enough strength to pull the American Excess charge card out of my wallet. I was kind of scared…

Lauren showed up first and was quickly dumbfounded by why I’d have any reason to be scared. Clayton rolled up on his chopper. He soon commented on my indecisiveness with the proper expletives which helped me put things in perspective. There was no doubt I really wanted to do it. I just needed a little kick in the butt. Well, maybe two kicks. Anyway, my hands were sweating as I filled out the paper work and signed the mile long legal release form. I then handed over my credit card to make a non refundable payment…. Surprisingly, it felt really good.

Ok, I made a decision and committed. Molly showed up next with a contagious enthusiasm that added to my diminished fear turned excitement. I began to feel amazingly calm about the whole deal. Sometimes the hardest thing in life is simply making a decision.

Aside of who I’ve already mentioned there was Lauren's friend Felipe from Brazil, Molly’s Friend Michael, and Tracy who spearheaded the outing. Aside of Michael and Felipe the rest of us know each other from beer drinking with the running club. In my experience the best ideas in life come about over beers with friends.

With all of the registration out of the way we were put on the jump schedule and proceeded to watch an instructional video. The first five minutes was of a middle aged man with a three foot beard articulating the dangers of skydiving. The remaining part of the Video was on how to minimize the dangers.

Molly’s infectious enthusiasm intensified as she decided to have it videotaped. I expressed interest and she told me I needed to do the same. Back to the office for another swipe of the American Excess card.

The preflight preparation was really quick and low key. what I liked about it was that the instructors all seemed very experienced and in the zone. Everything looked top notch and very well organized. My assigned instructor was Hank. Hank has been skydiving for 10 years and has made over 3,000 jumps. His buddy JP was the videographer. He hopped right into filming while I was getting ready and appeared attentive and on the ball.

I love small planes so the plane ride was pretty cool. It was a smooth takeoff and fully packed. We circled upwards at a rate of 1,000 ft per minute. We were heading for 14,000 feet but given the command to jump at 11,000 feet for some reason. My instructor said it could have to do with air traffic, winds aloft or something like that. Anyway, 11,000 feet above the ground is plenty high. I was amazingly calm and just a little bit anxious but not scared. Tracy jumped first then we methodically filed out. The Camera man hung on a bar outside the plan as Hank and I got into position. Count of 3 and off we went.

The epitome of letting go is jumping out of a plane and the feeling is absolutely amazing! It embraces being totally in the moment and is very liberating. I felt a slight drop in my stomach for a brief second but once we got going the free fall felt fabulous. I remembered to check my altimeter and to breathe. I felt totally present and was having a total blast. I checked the altimeter at 7,000 feet and started to feel for the rip cord. At 6,000 ft the instructor signaled by grabbing my hand and I went for the cord.

The parachute opened properly and the roar of wind rushing past the ears at 120 mph was quickly replaced by a Zen like peace and quiet. To the south I could see the Gulf of Mexico. To the north I could see downtown Houston. It was absolutely beautiful. Hank seemed really happy with how things were going. He then went right into a lesson on how to control the chute. We did a few turns to feel some G’s and took in the scenery below us. Absolutely Beautiful!

The landing was good considering the winds were blowing about 20 mph on the ground. The videographer rushed up for some final comments and photos. Fabulous, wonderful, and beautiful were the three words that immediately came to mind.

The first post jump question is, would I do it again? The answer is, very likely. It's such a unique kind of experience. It's not only the obvious thrill of it all but it's the process of letting go of fear that leaves quite an impression.