windy weekend

that's a picture of me, falling out of the sky, strapped to a man's chest.
i jumped out of a plane yesterday - pushed, actually.

i went skydiving w/ my yoga friends and was very interested to learn that like me, this was a test for each of them... a test of the practice, to see if we're truly able to take it off the mat and put it to work. a test to evaluate our efforts at controlling the mental chatter & the emotional reactions. a test to see if we've overcome fears of - or at least are substantially more comfortable with - death. really not a surprise - this yoga stuff works!

the instructors seemed mildly concerned that we weren't concerned as the plane gained altitude. and we weren't. sitting, breathing, smiling, silently taking it all in. there was never a moment when i didn't want to jump out of that plane - perhaps b/c an unidentified cockpit alarm was beeping incessantly but that's neither here nor there. ;) so i sat watching the altimeter on my wrist climb to 10k feet, waiting, & soothing the man i was buckled to that i didn't need soothed.

do you have any idea how high that is? it takes about 20 minutes to gain the altitude. i envisioned a plane flying over a field and people bailing out. 10k due to clouds, typically 12k feet. at that height, you can barely make out the single prop cesna from the ground. there are no windows in the plane, so you're peeking over your shoulder out the front windshield and it's a bit of an ohhhhh when you finally are framed in the door, looking out, waiting to go.

i've always wanted to do it. a year ago i likely would have landed w/ the plane.

touching heaven
is surprisingly cold - about 45F
pure crisp air filling the lungs
falling through clouds
soft mist on my face
it was like a dream
a very intense, vivid, wide-awake dream
thinking thoughts of wonder & awe &
"this view is just like being in a plane..." hehe
60 seconds of free fall
wings spread, wind whooshing, nothing holding you back
perspective gained for all those worldly concerns
then the jerk of the parachute
and stillness, floating, for 5 minutes
gentle summer rain
appreciation for this wonderous creation
cows down below reduced to pixels on the canvas
watching the love bubble in my chest
instructor concerned i wasnt talking so i put words to it and said i love you over and over before lapsing back into silence
good practice in surrender
totally giving my life over to that man and letting myself be cared for
Blink, you rock!
we landed on our feet.

tonight, sunset dancing, wild wind on the lake erie shore
bhakti yoga, mmmm

what have you wanted to do since you were a kid? what are you waiting for?
c.

p.s. thank you to whoever left flowers on my car outside the studio last night!