Overcoming Fear Part Deux

OK, so I did it. I jumped out of a perfectly good plane and had the most amazing time of my life. (that's me, dead center by the way) I kept wondering when I would get the butterflies in my stomach but they never came. I guess that the experience was so surreal that my mind didn't really process what was about to happen. So there I was with my instructor strapped to my back and my feet dangling out of the plane. He tilted us forward and made a comment about the cloudiness of the day. Maybe he was trying to spook me but it didn't work. He asked me if I was ready, I shook my head yes, he tilted me forward, tilted me back and then we were gone. All I felt was the wind in my face and the mist of the cloud that we were falling through. It was exhilarating. There are no words to describe the sensation. There was no funny feeling in my stomach like on roller coasters. Just wind and a feeling of complete freedom. Did you know that you can fall ten thousand feet in sixty seconds? Me either. The clouds began to part and the earth suddenly was very clear. I think it may have finally registered that I was falling very quickly towards cold, hard ground. The day was so cold that I thought I was going to pass out from it and just as I was about to close my eyes against the icy blast, he pulls the chute. I hear a whoosh and all of a sudden we're just hanging there. Floating. He played with the cords and we swung back and forth and around looking at the amazing landscape below us. He pointed out the beach and mentioned that we were lucky because in the summer, it's to hazy to see. I was speechless. I can only imagine how much more beautiful it must be in the summer when everything is in full bloom. All I could think was "What the hell am I doing at my current job when there are jobs out here like this?!?" We floated around a bit more until we got close enough to the ground to land. I wish I could say that the landing was soft but a gust of wind caught us and needless to say...I broke his fall. No broken bones...don't worry. Just a bit sore today.

Oh, and by the way, yes, I'd do it again in a heartbeat...it was worth every penny.