iFly, youFly, We All Had Fun at iFly
I finally got my chance to go indoor skydiving. You have to try this! I do, however, highly recommend not going with a broken tailbone. Even though I did not know I was broken at the time, I was the only one with full-body sore the next day. My friends had some shoulder and back stiffness, but I was a wreck (we now know why).
Our instructor is a squirrel suit jumper. I think that makes him legally insane, but at least he wasn’t hard to look at for a crazy person. He put up with this lot, so we can forgive him.
What struck me about the whole experience was:
- How I was not nervous at all.
- How much drool I produce in a wind tunnel and how much slack there is in my face (the elasticity is shot based on the cheek jiggle. Here we go 50!).
- How tired I was by the third flight (which might be because of the tailbone thing or my O.L.D.)
- How my friend Jodie can convince anyone to be in a friend pyramid with us (I’m on the bottom… please don’t tell my doctor. I didn’t know!) Our new bestie just happened to be there that day and was completely engulfed in our antics. He was celebrating being 30 and I’m certain we scared him just a little bit–or inspired him. Let’s go with that last one.
- How small the movements had to be to make a monumental change.
- Sometimes you have to give up control to make things work.
That last two are a bit deep and I’m gonna ruminate on them for a bit. I’ve always been a bit of a control freak. When I became a mum I relinquished a lot to the kids because they were the boss of when we slept, ate, the type of fun we could have, and pretty much everything else. I’ve been trying to regain some semblance of control as they get older but it is challenging.
I found myself relinquishing control at iFly and instead of being tense or upset about it, I went with it and was able to fully enjoy the experience. Could it be the same with all the other control scenarios I am trying to manage/control? A slight movement in control can make a monumental change?
In Florida, the change is monumental even though the movement is far from slight. Teens are telling us they have given control to the grown-ups for too long. Now they have a voice on what they need to make their world a better place and we are there to support those requests. Bravo kids! The world is exceptionally proud of you. Now adults, don’t blow it.
Maybe everyone should shift control to teens and the world would be a better place? Scratch that.
So much can be solved with listening. Listening to each other, the wind, our bodies, even our teenagers. Control does not have to be had to be successful. I listened to the wind and I flew. I listened to my body (finally) and got to the doctor. I listened to my daughter and she edited this video for a school project and did a great job. If someone had listened to that shooter, the world would be different for so many families. A moment of discomfort having a tough conversation might have alleviated years of sorrow.
Working with each other and relinquishing your control for the greater good makes the world better. Everyone, as individuals, can make a difference through our votes, our actions, our support, and our listening. But WE can make the difference felt worldwide. I am not normally a pontificator. But, I am so heart-heavy this week, I can’t hold it in.
Moral of the story is, listen before you act, then think about the drooling bit because that is truly mystifying and it might remind you to let go of control a bit for the greater good.
PS: Don’t worry, I still have pink hair 🙂 We did iFly before my day at the salon.
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That looks like so much fun. Honestly, sometimes letting go and seeing where the wind takes you is the best thing to do. Sometimes we have to trust that the kids are right because they’re the ones who, we hope, have long and productive futures ahead, and we should do everything we can to help them achieve that.
And the second best thing you can do is, when your instructor tells you he’s a squirrel suit jumper, spend the entire day referring to him as “Rocky” and asking him where Bullwinkle is.
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I wish I had known about the squirrel suit earlier because I would have had time to Bullwinkle him (which sounds dirtier than I planned). But, he told us as he was leaving the building. I interviewed the man and he said nothing. If only Dudley Do-Right had been there, we could have come to the bottom of this sooner 🙂
I keep reading these with awe and trepidation because you have so much enthusiasm, and yet are prone to ‘owies’. I’m also amazed that you can find so many different things to try when I haven’t even heard of any of them. And man, your girlfriends rock!
No more owies planned 🙂
Toronto and area have a plethora of exciting things to do. I’m having to eliminate some fun things because of timing and my ailing body. Maybe next year!
Good thing you explained the lack of pink. I would have wondered if it blew it right out of your hair. That looks absolutely amazing. I’ll have to get my dad bod in one of those and try it out. They might have to click the fan to the third setting though. 🙂
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I was already at the third setting. Red jumpsuits are apparently very slimming. 🙂