I Jumped Out of a Plane

"If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try." - Seth Godin

No, really. I literally jumped out of a plane. For my birthday I took the entire week off. I mean, I didn't exactly do it in the way that it sounds. My manager had the week off already and it just seemed easy enough to match my vacation to her week off and the timing just happened to be perfect. I had a staycation where everyday this week I did something different to fully enjoy my time off. I'm not going to go through all of it but I was blessed enough to have family from Charlotte come surprise me. I was so, so happy.

My big moment was going skydiving. I've been thinking about this and planning this for a while. I mentioned it to a friend I made through work a couple months ago and he was all about it. I purposely waited until I made my deposit before letting my mom know. Once I did, she FREAKED and rightfully so. I'm actually petrified of heights (mainly the free fall) to the point that I can't go near the railing at the mall.

The desire to do this stems from my desire for "more" and "adventure". I haven't traveled (without the purpose of visiting family or a bachelorette party) in I don't even know how long. I don't do anything super exciting with my life and that makes me sad. I had a moment where I thought, if (God forbid) something happens to me right now, would I be happy with the way I've lived my life? I need to fill my life with more excitement, adventure, and happiness. So since I promised to make 27 my best year yet, this was how I wanted to start. Skydiving celebrated four things for me: my birthday, facing my fear of heights, crossing an item off my 30 Before 30 list, and new beginnings and adventure.

I can't even begin to explain how amazing the experience was. I think it's important to try something that really pushes you out of your comfort zone. The freefall was a rush of adrenaline like no other, and the parachute down was just breathtaking. I was able to look around and see perfectly blue skies, gorgeous green mountains and grass, and my surroundings in a way that can't be explained. 

I will definitely be skydiving again. I even want to try it in another country like New Zealand or Dubai (UAE). I dare you to try something new, to step outside your comfort zone and follow the quote, "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." This experience made me realize that that quote is more true than one would think. Until next time, take a risk. :)