Keep calm and jump

Freefall has always given me a high, whether during a ride in a theme park or a pool. So no wonder that I got instantly driven by the idea signing in for a skydive during my recent trip to the US.

Before I go any further, a little flashback to 2012. While on the UK secondment in London, a friend and I were thinking of what to do for the weekend. My friend suggested that we sky dive, I looked at the prices and decided, that I'd much rather spend it on buying a D-SLR camera, which I was getting on investing a little more. Felt proud about it for the moment of being so prudent, but it didn't take me long to realise that may be I let go of something that I was to rue for a long time. Every other time, the thought of sky diving came to me, I had something else to think about. It just never happened. 

I'm a firm believer of not just being at the right place at the right time, but also doing the right thing for something to transpire. Almost as a converse, not wanting to make it happen, and not overthinking about it, on a Sunday morning in an alien land where nothing other than breakfast seemed interesting, a quick WhatsApp conversation with a cousin and his wife got things rolling. A quick google search for groupon deals and 20 mins later, we were already signing online waivers for the 2PM slot at Bay Area Sky Diving. 

The TV which displayed time to go for our turn

This was finally happening, and the first person I could think about was my wife with whom i had shared the longing to do this for so long. All she asked in reply was "Have you decided", "Please do it safely for my sake". Answer to both were "Yes" in the heart, but the mind wouldn't allow me to respond. Thanks to the timezone difference, being non-responsive didn't hurt.

What followed was a quick visit to the temple at Livermore, enroute to the location almost as if I were to subtly make my peace with God and seek blessings before the dive. On reaching the location the process was rather smooth, but the wait was long, with so many divers (tandem jumpers, solo jumpers, photo/videographers) waiting for their turns. By around 4PM, we got briefed as to what actions were expected of us midair, and we were harnessed on to the safety equipment. The guide shouted 10 mins before we took off and there we were, waiting with bated breaths for what I was counting to be a once in a lifetime experience. 

The journey was a unique experience, taken upto 13000ft in a small plane, with around 10 people on it seated like army troopers on a mission. In 5 mins, we were upto 13.5K ft and the experts felt it was good to let go. A couple of girls led the way and it was my turn to go second. Being tied to the expert jumper with the safety equipment, felt like the umblical cord that an unborn shares with its mother, so safe and so enriching. I guess the fear of the moment was manifesting through these thoughts, while I felt a tap on my shoulder and thumbs up from my expert jumper with which all thoughts subsided into submission. A submission to faith, efforts and perseverance of human race to get all things right. The tap, followed with a slight slide, and a little sway back and forth that the expert demonstrated like that of a high jumper raring himself to go, and in the blink of an eye, when the heart skipped a beat and I was freefall. The air hitting vigorously against the face, and the body forcing into submission against the nature. The minimum I could do was to enjoy, and that's all I did, all of which the videographer tried to capture. The minute and half free fall, after which the parachute opened gave me a sense of calm after the storm, and the landing followed. With clear instructions to get my feet as high as I could, or forget about them helped me land almost perfectly. 

A rush of emotions, jubilation and sense of having overcome loomed large for the next 15 mins. Thanked God for being there on my side and immediately messaged my wife "I'm Alive", to which she responded "woah".