Archive for August, 2009
Back in the Day
It got me thinking though of all the people that are just living their lives ‘Back in the Day’ you know all the Al Bundy’s of the world. Captain of the high school football team or head cheerleader. Then life for them just stopped. All they do is reminisce about the past. I have met other people who are in their sixties or seventies and life seems to have just really started for them.
Remember to live in the present moment and you can begin to build a nostalgia for the future. Life just keeps getting better if you let it.
Way back in the day
Making a Life or Death Decision in 30 seconds or less
Getting ready for my first jump
It was a beautiful day. Everything was fine when I jumped out of the airplane. I was not brand new to skydiving but I certainly was no seasoned pro. It was my 20th jump. I had about a minute of the free fall. If you have never experienced free fall it is one of those amazing intense experiences that no description can fully explain!
I deployed my parachute and noticed it had not opened fully. The slider was up and the line was twisted. I followed the procedure to try to clear it by bicycle kicking then pulling on the risers. It did not clear and I was losing altitude fast! I kept trying to clear. I had to make a decision. I could cut away from my main chute go back into free fall and hopefully my reserve would deploy correctly. If not I could try to land the halfway opened chute- maybe I would live. I probably would crush a lot of bones but I might live. The problem was I wasn’t sure if I knew how to open the reserve. I had practiced it over and over again but I had never done it for real. The procedure had actually been ingrained in my muscle memory. I was no longer even consciously aware I knew how to do it. And what if the reserve malfunctioned then I would certainly be dead.
As I approached the 2000ft mark I knew I had to make a decision. A calm quiet voice spoke in my mind ”It’s now or never.” Time slowed down, the world took, on a strange glow, I was now in a flow state. I pulled the quick release, arched my back. I re-entered freefall! I pulled the reserve cord without a problem. The next 4 seconds were clearer in my mind than entire months of my life. Time moved painfully slow as the reserve opened fully. With less than 900ft to spare I steered down and into the wind for a hard but safe landing.
The whole incident took less than 30 seconds yet it seemed like a lifetime and very well could have been.
Sometimes you have the luxury to hem and haw all you want. Sometimes you have to just make a decision and have faith in the execution!
The Possum Lady
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Viddler video. I was at the Dream Factory the other day and was met with a special surprise. Rhonda Robinson AKA the Possum Lady brought in these cute little baby Opossums. Rhonda rehabilitates these guys and releases them back into the wild. Opossums are probably the most misunderstood animals in North America and they are far from the giant rat that some people think of them as.
Have you ever felt misunderstood?
Some facts Rhonda did not mention in the video
- When cornered possums will hiss and show their teeth but this is just an act they are very placid.
- If threat continues possum will “play possum” It will go into a coma like state and appear dead. It even secretes a smell similar to the smell of a dead animal.
- Opossums are immune to most diseases including Rabies
- They have an Opposable Thumb
