Whiskey Notes and Parachuting Fish

For me, 2011 is about a year of change, fun and new experiences. With that in mind, I decided to create my own adventure, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 Scares here and the entire project here. Enjoy the experiences, I sure am!

I’ve been wanting to skydive since I was 18. But, I’ve always let others do the planning. Not surprisingly, they’ve never gone through with it. So, when the Groupon for skydiving landed in my inbox, it was serendipity at it’s finest. The Groupon was bought, the skydive booked and with jumpsuit #11, #3 for this project was in the bag.

I love the philosophy behind skydiving. Literally, you are leaping and building your wings on the way down, one of my favorite things to do. Before the jump, you have to watch an instructional video. I missed the whole quote, but in the video, the instructor says, “There is no perfect parachute. There is no perfect jump.” Wow. Just like life 🙂 But, even with the imperfection, you do it anyway. And guess what, most of the time, it works out just fine.

The experience? Thrilling, beautiful. And interestingly enough, you learn without a doubt the person you would think about before you jump from a plane; the person who calms your nerves and gives you strength like no one else. For me, the person that came into my head and stuck was a shocking one. Even more shocking, were the people that I tried, but couldn’t make stick. But, the people that didn’t stick? They’re not any less important in my life. Every friend has a place, time and special role.

Was it scary? Sure, that’s half the fun! But, for me, not nearly as scary as #1 in this project. I’d go skydiving again in a heartbeat. In fact, I almost went a second time today, but figured I wouldn’t press my luck 🙂 The other one? Well, let’s just say I woke up in a cold sweat the other night just thinking about doing #1 again.

For me, 2011 is about a year of change, fun and new experiences. With that in mind, I decided to create my own adventure, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 Scares here and the entire project here. Enjoy the experiences, I sure am!

Admittedly, this was a silly fear, but one nonetheless – Indoor tanning.

I was feeling extra pasty white and indoor tanning has been something I’ve always wanted to try. So, what better day then today? Honestly, the paying for the tan took longer than the tan itself. The funny part? What I was scared of doesn’t even happen! For whatever reason, I always envisioned these big beds where you had to close the lid on yourself. You know, a bit like laying in a coffin. I also always worried about the timer not going off at the right time and getting stuck in the coffin like box until I got seriously sunburned! Turns out both fears couldn’t be further from the truth.

Six minutes later,  the result of the experience was complete 🙂 Although, I’ll have to wait a few more days to really see if indoor tanning makes my Irish skin a little tanner. And yes, my fear of indoor tanning has been abated.

Of course, I would start my project with something not on the list 🙂 Originally, I was going to categorize tonight under “10 Experiences,” but then I decided it could be a category all its own – 10 Moments that Scare Me.

Yes, this post is part of 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries. You can see the others here. Enjoy the experiences, because I sure am!

I love the quote, “do something everyday that scares you.” It’s actually a magnet on my refrigerator. So, here I am. I’m doing 10 things that scare the crap out of me that I’ve never done before.

As you know, I have a lot of rules. One rule involves who comes over to my place. So, tonight, I broke 99% of my #1 rule and soberly invited a boy to come cook, have dinner and hang out at my apartment. To the average Joe? No big deal. To me? Well, let’s just say it took 24 hours to work up the courage to say my place vs. yours. And then, it took the rest of the day, breathing deeply, counting to 10 and trying not to hyperventilate to be okay with the decision. I told myself it was for the project. I told myself, Go Big or Go Home.

The result? A bit nerve racking. Okay, a lot nerve racking. But, it was fun as hell. Granted, I took some precautions. I kept all the bedroom doors closed. I didn’t give a tour of the space like a good hostess should. I didn’t let either one of us fall asleep. And the end of the night? Well, that was still the scariest part of all. But, I made it to the end of the ride, got off unscathed and decided it wasn’t as terrifying as I thought.

To be honest, I’m not sure if I’d willingly do it again, but I’m getting closer. Next step? Inviting a boy into the bedroom… can you hear the Alfred Hitchcock music? I can 🙂