xybe 0 #1 May 16, 2002 Since Michele has not indluged us with her crafty prosody I could not help but give short-skydiving-storytelling a try, this is the kind of pretentious half-whuffo I am, so without further ado:The Cessna cruises lazily the end of the jump run and yet the wind is strong enough beneath the plane’s wings that El Lobo and I have to struggle to keep our balance. El Lobo is one of the coolest guys I’ve seen around a dropzone. Skydivers are a weird bunch, and skydiving instructors are no exception. Good jumpmasters have the ability to look relaxed and at the same time remain in control of the situation, El Lobo is one such person and the confidence he inspired greatly eased my anxiety.It had been seven months since the last time I looked below me at ten thousand feet from the open door of a Cessna. For an inexperienced diver such as myself this time can be a lifetime. Having only twenty-eight jumps, I ran the risk of losing familiarity with skydiving equipment and my body and altitude awareness in freefall. This is going to be both a training and an assessment jump. El Lobo is going to evaluate my skills and help me regain my sky-legs.El lobo is standing outside the cabin of the Cessna as I face him standing on the threshold between the airplane and the wind. In one smooth motion we lean outwards-inwards-outwards and then we are in freefall. El lobo seems relaxed as usual as he grabs the shoulders on my jumpsuit; I look at him, smile and take a quick glance at the altimeter on my left wrist, we are at nine thousand feet.Somehow freefalling seems ordinary after the anticipation of exiting the plane. Somehow freefalling does not feel like falling at all, somehow it is more like floating in foam, so I breathe and allow the wind to shape my body. This is as close as humans can get to flying.There is an almost mystical contradiction that skydiving beginners have to face, we have the task of keeping our bodies in a stable position while staying relaxed. Jumping out of a flying airplane induces a great amount of tension, add to that the fact that we must concentrate on being stable, aware of altitude and performing tasks and the end result is hardly a relaxed skydiver. And yet beginners reach a moment of epiphany, when everything just clicks together and everything seems to be right.When we first skydive, time seems to accelerate along with our bodies, those thirty or forty seconds of freefall seem more like ten or fifteen. But when you reach that magic moment, that skydiving satori it seems that time has stopped to let us enjoy the otherworldly experience of freefall. This is the first time we can really enjoy the skydive, a peaceful joy takes us over and we feel we cannot help to smile.Still shedding whuffo-nessCheck out the Hardcore Whuffo pages Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #2 May 16, 2002 QuoteStill shedding whuffo-nessSeems you've shed it totally.....and thanks for the story!Ciels and Pinks-MicheleIf you really want to, you can seize the day; if you really want to, you can fly away...~enya~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
