It’s scary, isn’t it? Even if you know all the possible (albeit unrealistic) outcomes, have done all the research, or prepared for every scenario. There’s nothing like that first step off the cliff. The combination of fear and excitement is enough to make you sick. I don’t know about you, but whenever I am trembling at that edge, looking over, filled with the unknown, it seems like forever between the decision to leap and the action of leaping.

I went skydiving when I was young and I remember the somersaults of my guts as the plane ascended. Thoughts of “Why the hell am I doing this?” and “What if I die?” and “Crap, there’s no one here to see me do this awesome thing.” and lastly, “There’s no way I will be able to get out of this plane,” were swirling about, in rapid-fire succession. I went with a group of new friends and it looked like EVERY single other person was totally calm as a cucumber. But the lovely gentleman, who was my tandem jump partner, just strapped us together, and walked me out with door with a, “One, two, and….” Leap! He didn’t even get to three…at least I didn’t hear it since I was screaming. But once the leap (which was maybe five seconds long) was done, the rest of the five minutes in the air was AWESOME. So awesome that I can see why people skydive for a living, or just as a hobby. It’s no longer about fear or death or accomplishment, it’s about the awesome view, the feeling of flying through the air, and the affects of the adrenaline as I floated down.

I’ve experienced many more leaps after that one, and even realized that wasn’t my first leap. I’ve done scary physical things, scary emotional things, and just plain scary things throughout my life and survived each one. Getting started or leaping off the plane is just the first part, the rest of the ride is the awesome part.

So this is my first post, my edge of the cliff, so to speak, and I’m sharing this moment with you. Let’s jump together. Let’s leap into the unknown and quickly move past the scary and into the awesome. I promise it’ll be fun, and I’ll be with you the whole way down.