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When my 21st birthday started to get close all my friends asked what I planned to do, I had to really think about it. I have never been much of a drinker so of course, going out and getting trashed wasn't my idea of fun. However for the last couple of years, I always asked for the opportunity to cross something off on my bucket list. So I looked over my bucket list and saw, "jump out of an airplane" and thought that I should totally do that.
When my family asked what I wanted to do for my birthday and I said skydiving, they said I was insane and tried to talk me out of it. And for a while they gave up on trying to change my mind. A couple months before my birthday I started dating this guy who later turned out to be an asshole.
Long story short, the honeymoon phase was over quickly and we started having a lot trouble right before my birthday. This was my first real relationship and seeing it crumble made me sad enough that I didn't even want to celebrate my birthday. A week before my original skydiving appointment, I cancelled the appointment and told my friends I didn't want to do anything. I still "celebrated" my birthday with my family but I was so sad that while everyone was singing Happy Birthday to me, I couldn't even smile.
About a week and a half after my birthday, we officially broke up. At first I was sad and I broke down a few times but I came to the realization that were times that he made me so upset that I truly wished I was single and didn't have to deal with a relationship. After I am that realization, I booked another skydiving appointment. I felt I should give myself the birthday that I wanted. Especially when he blew me off on my birthday.
When the day came, I was so excited I was laying wide awake in my bed at 3 am. I did a lot of research on skydiving from people who've done it. I wasn't even sure what to wear until I researched it. I decided to wear a long sleeve shirt, a comfortable and stretchy pair of jeans, a light jacket, and my favorite running shoes. When my parents woke up, they asked if I was changing my mind and I said no. My family tried to change my mind right up until I left for the appointment. I was able to talk my dad into watching me jump and so he drove me down to my appointment. The entire drive there we didn't say a word to each other. Even in the parking lot of the building where I was going to skydive, he let me know loud and clear that he didn't like it but he'll watch me jump because that was what I wanted to do and he knew I wasn't going to make my change my mind.
We walked in to check myself in for my appointment. In my research, I found that morning was the best time to go, so I booked my appointment for 9 am. After I signed myself in, I signed release forms as I watched a video on skydiving and the risks I was taking, what could go wrong, as well as what to do to avoid killing myself and my instructor.
After that, the secretary at the front desk introduced me to my instructor, Eli. Eli then led me towards the back to get suited up with my necessary gear. Eli even pointed out that my dad was clearly not happy to be there, but he said he was happy that my parents were letting me do this. He said not to feel too bad about it because his family had the same reaction and they still don't like that he's a skydiving instructor.
At the skydiving center I was geared up with a camo jumpsuit and a harness. My instructor had on his harness, jumpsuit, a parachute that he called lucky, a helmet, a GoPro camera, and an altimeter so he can see how high in the air we are.
After we were dressed my instructor gave me a quick lesson on skydiving. Since I was jumping tandem, I just had to remember to arch my back and put my head on my instructors shoulder. After that Eli took a ton of pictures of me, because as he said, your first time skydiving is a memorable experience. After that, we got a ride from another staff member to the runway to board the plane. It was about a 20 minute plane ride to where we were dropped off but in the meantime, my instructor was pointing out all the places we were flying over. He told me all about skydiving, gave me helpful tips, and consistently told me what was the next step in the process.
He also told that me when people jump out of the plane they tend to be nervous and take a big deep breath in. He advised against that, because after we jump so much will going on that people forget that they're still holding their breath and that makes them feel nauseous. He told me to scream at the camera because not only does it look cool but you won't be holding your breath.
When we were at 8,000 feet in the air we rolled up the plastic cover that covered where we were jumping from. My instructor then pinned us together at our hips and double checked our parachute. Once we were at 12,000 feet in the air, we moved closer to the exit so that my legs were hanging off the edge. My instructor then made sure we were in the right spot to jump, he hooked us together at our shoulders, checked our parachute again, and then he got the okay from the pilot. He then told me happy birthday as he pushed us off the edge of the plane.
At first, it felt a ton wind hitting my face. No different than a very windy day but once I got over that I thought it was the most amazing feeling. There was no anxiety and no tension. I looked at the beautiful Earth and the gorgeous weather we had, and felt nothing but completely at peace. It was my first time skydiving and for a second I forgot my training. Luckily Eli reminded me, he put my head on his shoulder and I arched my body.
The sixty second freefall was a blur due to sensory overload but that's what happens when you're flying at the Earth at 120 mph. 60 seconds later, Eli launched our parachute. Since we are both pretty light weight we peacefully floated towards the drop zone. Eli even let me steer the parachute before he had to take over to give us a safe landing.
After the parachute launched, he unfastened the harness and asked how I was feeling. It's very safe to say that it was exhilarating. The parachute ride down to Earth took about 7 minutes. The experience was nothing like I imagined and it was the best experience in my life that I can't express in words.
Once we got close to the ground, I put my knees up to my chest and Eli prepared us to land. It was a very peaceful landing. After we landed, I talked to Eli for a little bit. I then thanked him and gave him a big hug. I then met my dad and he gave me a hug and he said how glad he was that I'm okay. He then took a picture of the smile I still had plastered on my face. If you haven't tried skydiving I strongly urge you to try it at least once. I told my parents this was a one time thing but I loved it so much I would like to do it at least annually for my birthday. It's an expensive hobby and once I make more money I would like to do it 3-4 times a year.
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