Leap Of Faith

 I wasn't particularly interested in skydiving, but more intrigued about the experience.  So, a month later, when my cousins and I were considering our Dubai itinerary, I joked that we should go skydiving. My cousins still have no idea it was a joke. 

But to my amazement, one of the cousins promptly said, "If you want, I'm in". And just like that, I was faced with a dilemma. To help with my quandary, I looked up the cost of skydiving, and it was a clear no. 

But, being the adventurous person that I am, I decided to go for it. I saw an opportunity and realized I needed to take advantage of it.  

I was excited. All I could think about was how exciting it would be to jump from a plane. 

My cousin however has his own doubts. As terrified as he was, he wasn't sure if he could skydive with his glasses on, and he didn't want to miss out on the view. Until he communicated his unsurety to me, I assumed it was happening. I didn't want to leave him behind because we had planned this together, but I was a little disappointed that I might not get to skydive at all. He did, however, have a remedy for the problem at hand. He purchased lenses.

I decided to watch a few skydiving videos to see if there was any additional knowledge on the subject. I also saw people's skydiving videos. what happened was that I couldn't find an answer to my question, but i become more aware of the fact it is not you who jumped from the plane, but rather a designated professional skydiver. So, basically, you're attached to him with these fancy gears, and he makes the jump. I knew this but didn't think about it before, but now that it had become so evident, it wasn't an adventure experience that I was looking forward to.

Opting for lenses was a fine strategy except for the fact that my cousin had never worn lenses before and obviously didn't know how to wear one. It wasn't a major issue because I was there to help. I taught him how to wear lenses at 2am that night at a very beautiful lavish stay at the Palm Jumeriah in Dubai. We planned to go skydiving the next day, so we only had a few hours book a slot. We had just arrived a few hours before, and the first thing we did after checking into our hotel was try on lenses. After many futile efforts, we were successful. My cousin wanted to make sure he was comfortable wearing the lenses before skydiving. I, on the other hand, grew antsy and finally mustered the nerve to tell him that we needed to book skydiving right away and that I didn't want to lose out. To my luck, my cousin was just as stubborn as me, so he chose to put up with the agony of wearing lenses if it meant he could jump. 

We never imagined that the first thing we would do in Dubai on our vacation would be to skydive. So, shortly after we reserved a skydiving time, I turned to my cousin and asked if he was scared. I won't forget his reaction to what he said next. He was taken aback and exclaimed, "What are you talking about? I am counting on you to be fearless so we can do this." And I remembered his response: "If anyone is skydiving, I'm in." I now understand the significance of the "IF" in that statement. 

Later, I realized that my cousin was not afraid of jumping off the plane, but of what would happen thereafter. I, on the other hand, was intrigued about how it feels to jump from a plane from a height of 13000 feet. I didn't really consider what happens next. This is when I witnessed something profound about how various perspectives different people can have on the same thing.

Next morning, we arrive at Dubai Skydive Venue. After completing the formalities, we were told to wait our turn, so we went upstairs to the café. We treat ourselves to a really pricey pizza. We sat outdoors to get a glimpse of the area where skydivers were landing. I felt a sudden rush of adrenaline staring at the beautiful spectacle of skydivers hitting ground one by one. 

We hadn't even finished our pizza when our instruction session began. My cousin is panicking since he forgot to wear the lenses while we were appreciating the beautiful scenery.  We rush inside, and I take out the lenses from my bag to hand him over. But then we decided it would be faster if I helped him put on the lenses because I had some experience and our names were frequently called to show up. While I was successful with one lens, the other proved difficult. My cousin tells me that I should show up at session as our instructor was waiting. He decides to put the other lens by himself.

I race to the ground floor and meet with my instructor. We introduce each other and chat a bit about our backgrounds. He gave me activity instructions and stated that we'd be starting in the next 5 to 10 minutes.  I also saw my cousin sprinting to the floor with one eye red. Apparently, he wasn't particularly effective at putting on the lens on his own.

Who would have guessed we'd spend the last few minutes before skydiving adjusting lenses? We were having an adventure of our own. I also believe that doing this together helped me and my cousin bond.

We were now being transferred to a plane from which we were to leap at a height of 13,000 feet. At that point, I felt a little terrified and anxious. But soon, I was flying. I knew I wasn't going to be the one to leap, but the free fall was an amazing experience. One of the bests. 

My cousin had a fantastic time too. He had been looking forward to the entire experience and was now extremely satisfied with it. I was happy but there was something missing from the whole thing. As soon as I got back to the hotel, I called my younger brother to tell him everything. I shout to him over phone call that I did it, I skydived. He was of course very happy and excited for me. I also told him about how it wasn't what i would have expected to be. I told him I wanted that rush feeling when you are terrified to death and still accomplish something. Even though skydiving is an adventure in and of itself, I didn't really feel like I had prevailed over my fear. I continued to explore Dubai with my cousins, completely oblivious of the surprise in store for me.

"You can only do this if you are a strong swimmer," the security warned us the next day at Dubai's Atlantis Water Park. My cousins and I began to glance at each other, which was enough for a guard to realize that he should not be letting us to leap into 10 feet of water. 

My younger brother once questioned me about the adventures I'd like to have in my life. Without hesitation, I told him that I wanted to leap from a cliff into the lake. And hence, when we were excused from jumping in the water, I couldn't take it. I have been practicing swimming for a short time, but enough to feel confident that I can safely get out of the water after the jump. However, was unable to summon the courage to make the jump. My cousins' pessimistic attitude did not help either.

Anyway, on the right side, we could see the same platform for jumping at a height of two meters. It was written there “For Kids”. We go the platform just to check but yet again we were  told only to make jump if you are a strong swimmer. I felt inclined to jump, but I was terrified because I had never jumped before. My cousins were just waiting for someone among us to attempt the plunge first.

My entire inner universe was disturbed since I had this opportunity sitting in front of me without even had imagined to have happened. This was my "Triumph Over Fear" test. This was everything I wanted from an adventure. I recall telling my brother that I want to pursue things that scare me. I knew I had to make the leap. 

I was in the thick of my moment when the guard looked at me and said, "You can do it." 

I'll never understand what drove him to say exactly what I needed to hear the most in that moment. It all looks like a magic to me today. I must have had support of entire cosmos that day. I take a few steps back and make the jump. It has to be the most beautiful feeling I had in my life. 

But Of course, I was the most afraid, so when I land in water, I focus on not sinking but rather getting out as fast as possible. Once I was out, I was filled with happiness and proud. I had done it. When I looked back, I notice my cousins also jumping after me. I didn't say it aloud, but I felt really pleased of myself, especially seeing others following me. I quickly went back to the platform to make another jump. I was filled with adrenaline rush. 

They featured four platforms with heights of 2 meters, 2.5 meters, 3.5 meters, and 4.5 meters. I was going to make jump from all four heights at least once. I moved to 2.5m; I wasn't terrified anymore. Jump was quite enjoyable and adventurous for me. It was now time for remaining platforms. They were the ones from where guard had dismissed us earlier. This time he sees the confidence on my face and allow me to pass to platform. I remember telling myself right before jumping “We got to do what we got to do”. I find that statement to make me feel confident and empowered. At last, it was time for my last jump. As I returned to the platform, I could feel myself becoming increasingly afraid. I remember having a conversation with myself about how we'd like to leap from a cliff one day, and to do so, We have have to take the plunge today. I make the final jump. The feeling was incredible. 

Nothing compares to the pride I felt for myself. 

I had one of the best adventures of my life that day. I was brave, I was determined, and I took a leap of faith. I was hell bent on learning swimming this year because I knew if one day, I was presented with a chance to do this kind of adventure, I would be ready.  My focus was skydiving all this time but Life works in mysterious ways. 

This crazy surprise makes me feel hopeful. I wonder if what they claim is true. Life has so much for us in the store even though we might not be expecting it and it is up to us to take the leap of faith.

Have a beautiful day!