by Alyx Simms

Created on: August 24, 2008   Last Updated: November 01, 2008

At first I was shocked by the gift my sister presented me with on my 50th birthday, but like she said, it was something I had always wanted to do. Skydiving at 50 huh? I remember thinking, perhaps she is trying to get rid of me.

After giving it some very serious consideration, weeks in fact, I decided she was right. This is something I always wanted to try, and the more I thought about it, the more my excitement grew. The company she had chosen was the very safest in the area, with only one accident reported in over 20 years, and that one occurred on the ground.

So, with my heart pounding I called and set up a jump time. I only had 2 weeks to mentally prepare for this adventure. I began by watching a couple of skydiving videos, which I quickly realized was a very bad idea, especially since one had a section on skydiving misadventures. As the day drew closer, I found myself teetering between an amazing excitement, and a tremendous fear. Being the natural big mouth that I am, I had already told everyone I knew about my plans, which made backing out impossible.

I can barely remember the drive to the airstrip, but once we arrived, I clearly remember the plane. It was a Cessna. It was very small, and the appearance made me question whether any real maintenance has ever been done. It looked like a plane I would be happy to jump out of.

After being briefed on proper form and such, I met my jump partner. Jeff looked about the same age as my son-in-law, with an adventurous twinkle in his eye. I instantly felt safe with Jeff, figuring he wanted to land safely every bit as much as me. So up we went.

Looking out of the plane window, I suddenly realized what I was doing. The fear was intense. But my excitement was still in the lead. Jeff and I strapped ourselves together, and hung our feet out the door. He explained that we would go out on three. I held my breath, one, two and out the door we went. My mind was racing with adrenalin, and surprisingly enough the fear was gone. We fell for 60 seconds before opening the chute in what is called a free fall, and I am here to say, there is no feeling more intense then falling at such speeds. When he opened the chute, the entire experience changed to one of peaceful, floating serenity.

By the time we landed, I had never felt more alive and I knew I had discovered a whole new love. I am now licensed to sky dive solo, and make it a point to do so regularly. My grandkids think I'm about as cool as they come, and that is a supreme compliment. My new motto is, strap on your helmet, life gets fun at 50.

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