Yes, I can honestly say that skydiving changed the course of my life.

It was the catalyst that took me from adventurous dreamer to adventurous doer—jolting me out of some serious ‘someday’ apathy. Suddenly, every single item on my bucket list felt not only achievable, but achievable in the NOW.

Since my first skydive, I’ve crossed some pretty major things off my list. My blog is testament to that!

But, back to skydiving. I’d contemplated it for years, but never thought I’d have the guts to actually go through with it. I mean, really? Who does jump out of a perfectly good airplane? An adventurer. That’s who. And that’s ME.

I finally admitted that it would never happen if I didn’t first schedule a jump. So, late one evening, I spent an hour researching jump spots in Florida, and decided on Skydive Space Center in Titusville, Florida. It was a three-hour drive across the state, but I wanted those Space Coast views.

After reading (and re-reading) that word ‘nonrefundable’ and keying in my credit card info, I closed my eyes and clicked SUBMIT. Almost instantly, any nerves I had gave way to gleeful anticipation. I was going skydiving!!

As the day approached, I kept waiting for the nerves to return. They didn’t. Even at the Center, as I signed my life away (literally) and geared up in the plane hangar…  no nerves. “They’ll probably hit me when I’m in the plane,” I reasoned. Nope. If anything, that gleeful anticipation intensified.

Then came the moment. THE moment. I stood in the opening of the plane—gazing out at the earth, 15,000 feet below—and it hit me. No, not nerves. The reality of what I was about to do. I was living my dream. It felt like both a millisecond and a lifetime. And then I was airborne.

I flung my arms out—completely forgetting to wait for my tandem instructor to tap my shoulder—and folks, I was flying! That 60 seconds of freefall was the most tangible form of freedom I have ever experienced. I wanted to live in the sky; it felt like home!

And the views did not disappoint, especially once the shoot opened and our peaceful descent allowed for time to soak in the sun-kissed panorama.

At this point, it’s pretty clear that I recommend skydiving, right? So, I’ll just leave you with these last few thoughts from my adventure:

• When you freefall, you won’t experience that roller coaster drop in your stomach. Your stomach will be perfectly calm, and you’ll feel like you’re floating.
• The higher you jump, the shorter your plane ride will be—less time to psych yourself out!
• Pay extra for the photos and video. I would have forever regretted not having this photographic evidence of my first jump!

If skydiving is on your bucket list, stop dreaming and take that leap!