Skydiving

I have about 10 blogs started and saved over the last couple months as it seems that I often find a need for perfection before posting these so please excuse my absence over the last year. Upon driving home from Adam's house this evening, the thought "love is like skydiving" came into my mind. And here is what I have learned.

Skydiving was one of the most liberating experiences I went through last year. The resevoir of adrenaline nearly burst upon arriving at Skydown and only intensified once I was sporting the army green jumpsuit. Packed like sardines in a small hallowed out aircraft with five grown men I didn't have time to back out once we were in the air. As the plane climbed higher, so did my heart rate. Before I knew it, I was overlooking Nampa, Idaho with the wind whipping past me. I could hear the instructor shout, "READY?" Before I had a chance to reply I felt his body weight against mine pushing me out of the plane.

Every sensation about the fall told my brain that this is wrong. This is going on too long. I should be stopping by now. All I could hear aside from my brief scream was the wind rushing past my ears. Every muscle in my body was contracted, including my lungs. I barely had enough time to take it all in before I realized that I wasn't breathing. I tried to focus on taking a breath but the air was moving so fast all around me that it was difficult. Before I knew it, the instructor put his altimeter in front of me and I realized I only had about five more seconds of free fall. Once the shoot was pulled it was a whole new experience.

Still falling, but now vertical, I could take in the beauty of the land. I could breathe the air around me and enjoy kicking my feet with no resistance. Adrenaline was still pumping through my veins but I was absolutely giddy. Even now as I recall the experience my heart skips a beat and I feel the rush coming back. It was an experience I wouldn't trade for the world.

So when I say love is like skydiving, it really is. We have all heard the horror stories and the comments, "If something goes wrong you're dead!" I've also heard the "It was the best experience ever and I'd do it again!" I've come to the conclusion that that is how love is, and that is how i'm going to live my life.

I moved back to Idaho in the beginning of 2010 with almost no expectations except to make the most of things. I didn't realize just how quickly the rush would come. Ever since January 17, 2010, the first time Adam and I went snowboarding, I might as well have been jumping out of a plane. We were best friends almost instantly and went snowboarding several more times that spring. As the weather got warmer we rode bikes, went to the Nickelback concert and Boise River Music Festival. We went camping in the rain where I was actually able to make a better campfire than him! We hiked Mount Borah, went fishing, and made a bonfire in the backyard. Adventure after adventure things just keep getting better and better.

That's what this love is with Adam. Like skydiving. No preparation. Just pure adrenaline and bliss. A never-ending free-fall. I guess in a way too, life is like skydiving. There isn't much preparation for that either. I'm still here and still trying to make the most of each of my days. I don't know when this blissful free-fall will end, and I am hoping not until my heart stops beating. Until then, I plan to enjoy it fully.