Free Fall

During my continuous trips to UAE on projects, in 2008-2009, I have decided to reward myself for the long hours of work and make one of my dreams come true: Sky diving.

I have always wanted to sky dive, but when it came to taking a decision, I always had cold feet, until I was able to convince my best friend to share the experience with me. (Which was not very difficult to do…:) )

It was, by far, the most exciting, terrifying and freeing moment of my life.

As the plane reached the 13,000 feet, the door opened and as I sat on the door’s edge, breathing got harder.

 I was asked by my professional tandem partner if I changed my mind, and though I was scared to death, I said no.

All I remember next is tumbling out of the plane, unsure of what was up and what was down. The free fall was quick (9 seconds at most) that I couldn’t catch my breath.

The view, however, was amazing over Umm Al Quwain where the scenery of the Persian Gulf and the desert’s sands helped me keep calm.

I am still not sure what I miss more; the strong adrenaline rush – the free fall – or the calm sensation and peace that followed.

What is certain is that Adrenaline rush is addictive.

We get tattoos. We jump in the sea in the middle of the night. We do stupid and extreme things. We jump from planes. We drive fast. We run. We get crazy haircuts. Or simply we do something new…

All for this exquisite, short term pleasure that keeps us going on!

All for this “feel good” moment that alleviates the stress, routine and boredom of the daily life!

But as a matter of fact, I miss both, as you can only appreciate the uniqueness of the moment after withdrawing to a calmer state.

And while waiting for the next (forced or natural) adrenaline rush experience, I’ll try to compensate with a good dose of caffeine :)