Leap of Faith (bungee or skydiving)

I received the most fantastic early birthday present yesterday from John. He booked me for a tandem skydive session to replace bungee jumping on my "list". It was an exhilarating experience (of course) and a big boost to my ego to be able to say I am the kind of person who has skydived. I don't feel the desire to do it again but it's not that I wouldn't do it again. It was over pretty fast and I didn't feel the effects of adrenaline in my body until I was all done and found I couldn't sit still or find an appetite for dinner. I was never scared because logic had control of my mind that there were millions of successful jumps (and landings). Even at the moment of truth, when we were about to leave the airplane, all my brain would think about was fulfilling my instructions. My tandem instructor was the one who ultimately decided when we would go.

John's gift was a very cool surprise that I had a day and a half to prepare for. Not too much time to allow me to over analyze the situation but enough time to prepare and get excited. I guess the idea started a while ago when we had talked about how hard it has been to find a place to go bungee jumping, but that a similar adrenaline junkie sport of skydiving could be done right here in Ogden. I liked the idea of a substitution (my list, my rules) but hadn't pursued it. As I began making a big push to finish things on my list before my birthday, John seized the opportunity to help me make a big check mark. I am so grateful for him as a supportive husband and his role in helping me take this "Leap of Faith"

I say "leap of faith" because that is what is is, whether it was bungee jumping or skydiving. It was more than just a momentary thrill trying to recapture my youth during a mid life crisis. This event was a very important achievement to include when making my "list" because it represents a physical manifestation of a mental and emotional state of mind that I want to live in. Phil Keoghan (the Amazing Race host) who was a major influence on this whole list idea stated it best in his book, No Opportunity Wasted. "The leap of faith, in its various forms, is what carries us past uncertainty to the other side .... to the unknown. And to make that leap, you must summon a belief in yourself, the faith that you'll be able to defy gravity and do whatever it takes to end up safely on your feet." The concept is that if you can have the thrill of a leap in your life's highlight reel, you can call on that same ability when you need to make a "mental" leap. A leap can be almost activity that requires a big, bold step away from safety and into the realm of risk (usually mental or emotional).


And I think this jump has done that for me. It is a perfect ending to a fantastic couple of years. I don't know if I could have done it at the beginning of this journey, or if I did, if I would have appreciated it's significance. With this skydive, I have officially moved from a "nah" to a "NOW" person. I am looking for and enjoying every opportunity that presents itself. I have become less rigid and more open to spontaneous things. I will keep working towards the things I have yet to do on the list, but will also be looking for and adding more new things. Maybe five new things a year until I turn 50? Who knows. It's the process not the results that has meant the most to me, and I am happy to be concluding my 40th year on such a "high".