We jumped 10,000 feet from a plane today. I thought my nerves would get the best of me and that my stomach would sit in my throat, but I was quite calm from beginning to end.
It was a tandem dive - my first ever - and I was most worried about not being properly clipped on or losing my glasses, but my guy Neels was cool and collected, explaining to me everything he was doing as he was doing it. His voice was soothing and even that high up, I felt at peace.
The 35 seconds of freefalling were so surreal and there was so much beauty to take in that I sort of just lost myself in the moment. I can't remember whether I ever looked down at the ground to where we would ultimately land, but I did look into the horizon above the clouds, thinking aloud how beautiful it was and catching myself on the verge of tears. The only word I could manage to find to truly describe the experience is special. It sounds strange, but it's almost as if I felt a spiritual connection with Neels. At that altitude, strapped onto another human being, I felt a vulnerability that was not only physical, but emotional as well.
The pull of gravity tickled me and I found myself giddy and giggling. Looking to my right, I watched 2 parachutes resisting the weight of 4 grown men in the most ethereal way. They floated over a sea of white, this layer of fluff that separated heaven from earth and I realized in that moment that I too looked just like them. Pure magic.
