EMBRACING FREEDOM – I JUMPED OUT OF A MOVING PLANE !

Most people usually pay money to jump onto a plane, and then there’s some people who pay to jump out of a moving one. I am some people! I have always been adventurous, drawn to the crazy mysteries of the world , fascinated by strange happenings, climbing mountains, losing myself in the wild, trying new things, places and foods, bungee jumping, absailing among other adventures that keep calling my name every once in a while.

Sky diving /parachuting is a method of transiting from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute. It is usually done for fun , i did it both for fun and to overcome my fear of losing control. Crazy right!

If you are a first born and grew up in a household where everything is constantly unpredicatble, you probably identify with this “being in control” syndrome, if you dont, I will share that story another time. For years, the fear of losing control has been a formidable force in my life. Whether it is the fear of failure, the fear of the unknown, or the fear of letting go, it has tethered me to the familiar and the predictable. Skydiving, a seemingly reckless endeavor to some, was my chosen path to confront and conquer this fear, to unshackle myself from the chains of doubt and hesitation. And this year with so much curiosity, determination and without hesitation, i jumped out of a moving plane at 30,000ft

The sun hung low in the horizon, casting a warm glow over the landscape as I stood on the edge of the open airplane door, my heart pounding in rhythm with the propeller’s roar. The wind, a force of nature in itself, tugged at my senses, whispering promises of liberation and exhilaration. I was about to embark on a journey that would redefine my relationship with fear, control, and the boundless expanses of the sky. As excited asbi was, i almost wet my big girl panties as my guide Fred started counting down to the jump.

The journey.

I have always wanted to skydive, infact i had planned to do it with my very dear friend sometime but the universe refused to allign. This year i decided i was not going to voice my plans lest the universe refuses again. In celebration of my birthday, i contacted skydive dubai online, paid and booked a slot. I convinced myself that if i paid, then there would be no backing out because who wants to lose money because of fear? Did some reading about what to wear, the dos and donts , and i was ready. Took an uber to the rendezvous point, was checked in, signed a disclaimer form, was introduced to my would be guide , photographer and got strapped. We then had a short video debrief and started the long mile walk to the car that would take us to the plane.

At this point all the nerves you can think about are shooting uncontrollably out of my body. My neighbors are panicking, you can smell fear on all our bodies, and our guides are trying to keep us calm. We were five , plus five guides and three photographers to capture the moments. We entered the aircraft and were asked to sit with our guides, Fred( my guide) who was strapped to me told me to trust him and to not resist the air carrying me. Not sure i understood what that meant because in the next few seconds the red light went on, my photographer shouted smile and off the plane we jumped .

Listen!! Death must feel like that because why was i doing this to myself ? Why had i paid my hard earned money to subject myself to such a near death experience. What kind of bad decisions was I into ? The fear!! everything was shaking , i could hear my heart beat from my mouth. But did I die???

As we descended from the aircraft, suspended between the heavens and the Earth, a paradoxical sense of calm suddenly washed over me. It was a moment where time seemed to stretch and contract simultaneously, and the world below transformed into a mesmerizing tapestry of colors and contours. The fear that once gripped me began to dissipate, replaced by a profound awareness of the beauty that lay beyond the confines of my comfort zone. Oh how beautiful it is to kiss the sky. Its orgasmic.

In the realm of free fall, control took on a new meaning. It was not about gripping tightly to the reins of certainty, but rather about surrendering to the natural forces that guided my descent. The wind became my guide, and as I spread my arms wide, I felt a unity with the elements, an exquisite dance with the unseen currents of the sky. I was having so much fun, ofcourse the photographer was enjoying capturing every second of it all. Far from being a loss of control, it was a revelation—a realization that sometimes, in letting go, we gain the most.

Fred allowed me to hold and direct the parachute reins, and as we gently spun around, the world seemed to be still, nothing else mattered in that moment, only the beauty i was beholding. We then started preparing for landing, and soon, we hit the ground on our feet.

The ground, initially a distant abstraction, gradually rose to meet me as the parachute deployed, slowing our descent. As I floated gently back to Earth, a newfound sense of empowerment filled my being. The fears that once confined me were now left far above, replaced by an overwhelming sense of liberation. I had faced the abyss and emerged not only unscathed but transformed.

The experience wasn’t just about conquering the fear of falling; it was about shedding the fear of losing control. It taught me that control is not an absolute, rigid concept but a fluid, adaptable force that can be harnessed in unexpected ways. True control lies in understanding when to hold on and when to let go, in recognizing that sometimes the most profound moments occur when we relinquish the illusion of control.

As I touched down on solid ground, the earth beneath my feet felt more tangible, more real. The fear that once held me captive had been replaced by a newfound courage, a courage born from the realization that embracing the unknown is not a relinquishment of control, but rather a celebration of the vast possibilities that lie beyond our self-imposed limits.

Skydiving became more than just an adrenaline-fueled adventure for me; it was a metaphor for life itself. In the grand theater of existence, we are all skydivers, free-falling through time and space, navigating the currents of uncertainty. It’s in those moments of surrender, of trusting the winds of fate, that we discover the true essence of control—the art of letting go and allowing life to unfold in all its magnificent unpredictability.

You should try it !