This is day 6 of the Your Turn Challenge: "Tell us about a time you surprised yourself." 

It had always been on my bucket list but I never thought I’d actually do it.  When my husband got me an appointment to go skydiving for my 26th birthday I was simultaneously ecstatic and terrified.  But I showed up and literally took the leap.

And – it – was – amazing.

In the minutes before the jump I couldn’t dwell on what I was about to do or my amygdala would take over.  There was no time to look up stats on skydiving fatalities (which my husband was probably doing on the ground).  I focused on the tasks that the instructor had given me.  I was putting my trust in his expert abilities. When he told me to go, in tandem, we jumped.  

The free fall wasn’t as scary as you’d think.  It all happens so quickly.  And then he pulled the cord and the parachute deployed and we floated the rest of the way down.  This was happening at sunset and it was one of the most beautiful scenes to be falling slowly from the sky while the majestic sun set over the Kansas fields.

It occurs to me that this is a good analogy for taking risks in life.  Sometimes you have to hire or consult with an expert, learn the necessary skills, and jump before fear takes over.  What leap are you going to take?