A Separate View

On Skydiving

I had to laugh right out loud when I read today's prompt for the Blogging Circle of Friends. I don't know what it is about skydiving - it must be 'something in the air'. I know I mentioned this in yesterday's entry, but this is just funny. The prompt's topic is Skydiving. Would you do it? Or have you ever done it? Here is what I wrote as my status on Facebook yesterday: "Struck with boredom inside my back pocket, my iPhone decided it would be a cool adrenaline rush to skydive into the toilet. :'(

Now, I just need to get toilets out of my head and think about plane -- yes p-l-a-n-e -- old skydiving. By the way, my phone is all dried out and working fine. Funny thing is I've developed a new habit of obsessively windex-ing it.

Skydiving and me? Yeah, I don't know about that. No, I've never done it. Yes, I have thought about it. I have a cousin who LOVES it -- tries to get everyone she can to go up and skydive with her. I've been thankful for a long time now that she lives way down south in Georgia, and I can use the distance as an excuse not to do it. You see, I am VERY afraid of heights. I mean forget about the 'jumping out of' the airplane part; I hate the 'getting into' the airplane part bad enough. That said, I do travel via airplane. I went overseas to Italy this past August, and I survived. I was in that airplane for over 8 hours. I was afraid the whole time, but I did it.

The truth is I am terrified of everything. I have this problem with my brain where it just goes all 'what if' on me. What if the plane engines malfunction? What if the car crashes? What if I slip on a banana peel while crossing the street? What if a piano falls on my head when I step outside? Yeah, I exaggerated a little with the last two, but you get the picture. I am terrified nearly every day of my life, but . . .

I do not let my fears stop me from doing ANYTHING.

I just remind myself that I am strong, and I tell myself I can do anything for a day. Here's another thing about me: I am legally blind, which adds a whole other spectrum of fears to trying new things (and even doing everyday things). Stil, I've gone rock climbing, horseback riding, biking, four wheeling, go-carting, hiking, and roller skating. Some of those things I've done with the help of someone else, but I still got to experience them. The roller skating was pretty much an epic fail, but that's okay. If people say, "Oh, Noelle, you won't be able to do this, because you can't see," then that is when I KNOW I must go for it. Life is so much more fulfilling at the end of the day when you can say, "I did it!" or even, "Hey, at least I tried it."

So, on skydiving - it is a REALLY big 'thing' to try, but despite my lack of sight and my complete fear of heights, yeah . . . I'd probably do it!

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” ~ Unknown