I took the leap

I did it. Literally.

This weekend I got the fortunate chance to go to a friend of a friend's cottage, about an hour and a half north of Toronto, in the Georgian Bay area. Now keep this between you and I, but I'm making a concerted effort to befriend more people with cottages. Or at least befriend more people who have friends who have cottages...

Anyway, this person who owns the cottage (we'll call him Michelle) is a real adrenalin junkie, and I was told beforehand that there will be some jumps involved. Historically, I haven't been known to ride the wild wind, live life on the edge, or whichever way you'd like to put it. I've always thought of myself as more of a grounded person who doesn't seek the kind of physical thrills that get your heart racing, your adrenalin pumping, and your loins tingling.

We started the day off with a boat ride. The boat ride took about three minutes, when we approached a cliff that looked to be about 25 feet up. As Michelle slowed the boat and docked it, he started explaining how to jump off the cliff. Now, I didn't plan on jumping the whole day, but as I found myself climbing up the cliff, a feeling of adventure overcame my senses. I had never jumped off a cliff into water before, but that day there was an urge to discover the unknown.

I took a lower, saner warm-up jump that was about twelve feet from the water. That took a bit of getting used to, but I did it, and it felt great. I found myself climbing the cliff once again, this time to the higher rock on the cliff that is about twenty feet up. I know what you're thinking,
"you're writing this blog about jumping from a twenty foot cliff? Is that even a cliff? Why are you toying with our emotions? My grandmother has jumped from higher places in her grave." etc. But let me tell you, the vantage point from twenty feet up is nothing to scoff at. Plus when you look straight down, the little bit of rock you have to jump over in order to reach the water may be insignificant in reality, but it toys with your emotions.

I let Michelle jump first. Michelle actually jumped from a higher spot, about thirty feet up, which involves climbing a tree, hanging down from it, and jumping into the water. But we're not going to talk about Michelle's heroics much because this is my blog. I was still not sure I was going to jump after his jump, but I was certainly pumping myself up. I felt that I really wanted to jump, but something was stopping me. I proceeded to let my friend jump before me, we'll call him Donna. Donna jumped from the twenty foot rock and landed safely and that seemed to ease my mind a bit.

I stood there for another minute, focusing, trying to let go of my fears. Michelle and Donna wanted to count me down, but Michelle counted down starting from 1 and I wasn't sure what number I was supposed to jump at, so I told them I'm not ready yet.

A minute later, something in my head seemed to let go. For some reason, I was ready for it. I was still hesitant, and felt like I needed an external "push", so I told them to give me a count down, this time starting from 5.

As Michelle and Donna were counting down, I felt doubt set in, but also anticipation. I felt like it was up to me whether I allow my fears to overcome me, or if I manage to overcome my fears, and experience a thrill I've never experienced before. As I heard the number 1 being shouted at me, it was almost automatic. I felt my legs push off the rock, and from there on, it was an incredible experience. The feeling of letting go, being airborne, the freedom from the doubt and fears and the built-up anticipation... the thought of having a Facebook profile picture of me jumping off a cliff, was almost overwhelming. Finally hitting the water was the most fulfilling moment I've had in a while.

You may ask what this has to do with flying an airplane. Well, it has nothing to do with flying an airplane. This story has everything to do with letting go of your doubts and fears, and doing something spectacular that you've never done before. I realized after my cliff jump that I went through the exact same mental process on that cliff as I did when I chose to take up flying. Although deciding to take flying lessons took more than a half a year for me to finally get going, it was the same procedures. The hesitations, the doubts, the anticipation. Having someone close to you cheering you on because they know it's the right thing for you, and that you won't feel complete if you won't at least give it a try. The feeling of taking off in a Cessna 150 (which I'll write about in a later post) is very much the same feeling I got from finally jumping off the cliff.

I know it may sound cliche, but if you're feeling held back, and there are things you feel you must experience, I encourage you to take the leap.