I agreed with him two weeks ago - at the beginning of the month. This is an expensive matter, and I had to prepare myself mentally. I know that many people say that it is better without such a long wait because there is a high risk of changing your mind...
I wanted to jump with a parachute since childhood, I don’t remember if I was ten or twelve years old, but waiting twenty years... I wasn’t going to put it off any longer. I understood perfectly well that I was VERY afraid of heights. Yes, I’m afraid to stand on a stool, but here I am jumping from 4200 meters. So what if I have a huge, two-meter man behind me who keeps everything under control? That's not the point! There - the brain turns off, completely! There you see only this height that absorbs you. And you don’t remember his instructions, or about him, what’s behind you, or who or what you are. For a matter of seconds, you are just a substance, bursting with emotions, with panic, and they manifest themselves in the only way that nature gave you at that moment - your scream.
But I'd better take things in order. When I arrived at Evora Airfield, I thought there would be two and a half people there. It seems like a pleasure, quite risky and not cheap. However, there were a lot of groups there, among which I heard English, Spanish, and, of course, Portuguese. For some reason, the parachutist instructors are all handsome, as if they were all chosen from modeling agencies. Mine picked out a suit of the right size for me, gave me a quick briefing, put some kind of product made of straps on me (it reminded me of something they put babies in) and began to tighten these straps for a long, long time.
A few minutes later we were already on the small plane.
Are you complaining about low-cost companies? How do you like your butt on the floor, on which there is only a rug that looks like a lawn? Exactly! After that, all commercial aircraft are luxury for me! For some reason, I immediately remembered the Indiana Jones films...
It’s interesting, but I didn’t even feel that the plane had taken off, although on large commercial planes I always feel this moment - my ears hurt very badly at that moment, but here - nothing like that. The plane rose slowly, revealing magnificent views outside the window. He made me laugh and goof around, a few photos here and there. Beauty! And then my brain began to remember that I was going to jump from this height! The only way out of there is through this door, at THIS height! So NOT even THIS one! WE'RE STILL RISING!
Along the way, I was not the only one who realized this, since everyone on the plane for some reason became quiet and stopped smiling. And then he began to fasten me to him, very, very tightly. He began to explain something about where I was fastened to him, and I already started to feel nervous and slightly panicked. I see the guy who was sitting next to us, without an instructor, very energetically crawling towards the door. And the door was transparent, and opened and closed like a bread box in our Soviet times, and with only a slight movement of this guy’s hand it slid across the ceiling, revealing to us our bitter fate!
This jumper turned to face us, knelt down, waved his hand, and with a wide smile and a shout of “Bay!”, did a somersault in the air. I just saw how he spun there, outside, making several circles around himself! I was sure that THIS would remain in my memory for a long time!
My instructor, without hesitation, immediately crawled (with me, on his knees) to the door. Naturally, I had no right to vote, I was already in limbo outside the plane.
Before I even had time to prepare, I began to fly, just like that, spinning among the winds, not remembering who I was and what I was.
And then time stopped, everything stopped, the parachute opened. He opened up! Beauty, fields, some lakes. Time returned again, but it was somehow stretched out, slow, weightless. It could be pulled to the right and left with this parachute, to the left a little faster, to the right a little slower. And I pulled this time...
And suddenly I saw a familiar Airfield, and tanned guys running across the field in white socks, helping the paratroopers get ready quickly. He said that we were landing, we needed to raise our legs... The landing was soft and not as scary as I thought.
This is where I jumped for joy! I am alive! And I didn’t hurt myself! I AM ALIVE! AND MY LEGS WORK!
I don’t know if they understand this, these tandem skydiving instructors, what they give us. After all, even as a child I wanted to jump and still somehow, for some reason, and here I am! A miracle has happened! I wouldn't have jumped alone! Although I read somewhere that you can jump from a small height for a small fee, but the parachute opens immediately. But when the parachute opens it’s no longer scary at all - compared to how you fall head down before (probably head down, but maybe not head down!) it’s almost like flying on an airplane! Completely different emotions!
I don’t know what changed in me after this jump. I guess I'm not so afraid of heights anymore. Furthermore, I’m no longer afraid of this stool in my kitchen.
When I told him that I was afraid of heights, he answered me laughing: “You’re not afraid of heights! But of the floor!” People like me probably come there every other time.
But if you think about it, each of us has our own story - why the parachute jump, why now and how we got there. Although “why and how” is not even important, the main thing is “before” and “after”, my opinion remains the same: at least once in your life it’s worth jumping.
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