Why I jumped out of a plane this week

On Sunday morning, I jumped out of a small plane at 15,000 feet and fell for around 60 seconds before floating my way back down to earth with a parachute. 

This was a pretty huge deal.

My mum was freaked out. My son broke down in sobs as I left for the plane. My husband confessed he would never do it himself.

It would have been so easy to change my mind.

Particularly because I am scared of heights. Not like the kind of scared of heights that only kicks in when you’re somewhere actually high and dangerous… but the really bad with heights kind.

I struggle to walk across a foot bridges. I don’t do step ladders. I can’t stand on a desk to change a lightbulb. Glass bridges and elevators send me into a paralysis. I have held hands with professional business colleagues and near strangers just to keep my feet walking. I am genuinely scared of heights.

But I wanted to jump out of a perfectly good plane. Because it seemed like an impossible thing that someone like me would never do. That was why I wanted to do it.

While it was scary – I believe we have to actually live our lives otherwise all we’re doing is waiting around staying safe while we wait to die. 

I hope that doesn’t sound as awful as it sounds in my head, but I think if I don’t take risks I will never truly know what I am capable of and won’t ever truly live. I don’t want to look back with regrets on the things I didn’t do.

Sure, I had a few moments when I was nervous. But I wasn’t afraid, because once I decided I was going to do this, I knew it was happening no matter what. That meant, in my own strange logic, there was no point wasting time being scared.

I slept like a brick the night before. 

I was a bit nervous that I might freeze up at the moment I had to actually let go of the plane and jump, but it actually happened so fast and my tandem instructor just make it happen so quick I didn’t have the time to really process. One moment I was on the plane the next I was in freefall. I had to just let go and enjoy the ride.

It was incredibly freeing and reaffirming. It reminded me that I am brave and I can do things I never thought I would be capable of.

I hope this share maybe encourages you to do that thing you maybe have always wanted to do or take a little bit more of a risk this week.

And if you want to see it all happen… you can check out the video which is at the top of the post! I seriously considered deleting the part where my cheeks ripple like a gale-force winds over jelly and I make some weird faces because it IS NOT FLATTERING, but hey… it’s my face and that is what happens when you drop at 200km/h!

Here you go! Happy adventuring to you.