Skydiving

I know my decisions don't always make sense to the people who love me. They don't understand why I need to take off for a year and travel or why I decide to do one thing when everyone else is doing another. Well on the long drive down the west African coast I've more or less figured it out. Here goes an attempted explanation.... I don't really believe in having a "bucket list." I mean, why put off for tomorrow what you can do today? Why chuck your goals and your happiness in the pile for "later?" Especially when it takes relatively little effort to make those things happen in the present. With a little determination, all things are possible. And so, by living this philosophy, I've seen and done many crazy things in the last 10 months. But then I came upon a problem in my logic. Sometimes an opportunity presents itself that I'm not quite certain about. As an example let's take jumping out of an airplane. Skydiving is not something I've always wanted to do. It's something I've considered vaguely with apprehension. Here we get to Swakopmund and tons of people are going skydiving and I'm on the fence about the whole thing! Well, living by the "no bucket list" rule, this posed a problem because I had a small feeling I would regret NOT going and that regret might put skydiving on a list for later. So I decided to muster my courage and take the plunge. A 10 000 foot plunge to be precise, from a small purpose built aircraft over the Namib desert. I woke up at 6:19am stewing in my own fear,not quite sure if I was up for the challenge ahead. We were picked up at 10am from our hotel and drove out to the airstrip in the desert. Then we were divided by weight and given partners to go up with. I was happy to go up with Andrea, my fellow Canadian truck buddy. She seemed calm and excited about the whole thing but not terrified or freaked out. Then the waiting began... We were group 7 of 8. I was so terrified I would lose my courage as I waited there on the ground watching the little specs in the sky falling towards the earth...my friends. But as we waited a strange thing happened, I was determined and an exciting calm took over. The feeling you get when you know, you're in the right place at the right time. As we suited up and prepared to go, I was more amazed by the fact I'd even gotten that far than afraid about the jump. The tandem jump guys were amazing. They were all business and calm. As we went up in the plane he asks me "What are you thinking right now?" and I said truthfully, "I'm thinking it is spectacular up here, and that your country is one of the most naturally beautiful places I've ever been. He replied "good". As it turns out, they ask you that to gauge who terrified you are but by that point the fear had gone! When the door of the plane opened we were first out ( after my camera man). I tucked my feet under the plane and leaned back towards the tandem guide and swiftly he launched us into mid air! The free fall was like an amazing amusement park ride, it took a second or two to get used to the feeling of falling and another 28 seconds to enjoy it! When the chute opened we went flying up and then slowed to a near stop and drifted slowly for awhile! Then, I got the chance to take control and fly the parachute myself. We did some quick spins and then before I knew it, my feet were back on the ground! The first thing I said at the bottom was "I want to do it again!." What an amazing adventure and my bucket list is still empty! Oh and, I met a 9 year old girl who has already jumped with her dad... How cool is that?