Brace yourself, your about to double jumpā¦ 11,075 feet into open air. As my friend @Lapolda would say ātake my fistā. 
The first day of summer vacation had arrived, And the 80ās had just begun. Up late for an early lunch and out the door lickty split, straight over to Shellyās house. Weāve been friends for as long as I can remember, she pretty and gives me a queasy stomach from time to time, by looking at me in a way I donāt understand. She is waiting on the porch with a towel around her neck, we head to lake for a swim and to test ourselves. Walking with her was like being free of everything else, the conversation flowed and nothing else around me mattered, I really didnāt know what the feeling was as I do now.
All the way there we talked of how we will summon the courage to take the leap of faith, speaking bold of how we have no fear over the matter of trembling hands. Once we arrive, a lump forms in my throat looking up to where Iāll be standing soon. Our other friends are already there, playing Frisbee and catch with a football. The ten of us were a bit of a gang but we didnāt hunt people down to kick their ass or anything like that. Together we were invincible with our resolve to conquer any obstacle in our path.
First up is Mike, he is the oldest of us all and often talks us into things we really donāt want to do, up the embankment he goes to the bridge above, climbing over the railing at the top he runs for the third light pole on the bridge over the lake. From there itās 75 feet to the water, he stands on the concrete base that holds the light pole and waves to us on the shore. Suddenly he leaps and becomes a spear with hands held up over head and feet pointed down. It only lasts 2.5 seconds, but the feeling is weightless flight straight down.
Harry and Clifford go and then Melissa, the others follow until itās just shelly and I looking at each other. Scrambling up the slope, helping each other up here and there, grabbing the railing to pull myself up a semi truck whizzes by with an enormous rush wind laced with sand and diesel fumes. Scared and staring to show it, I climb over first, offering a hand to her at the top. There is little traffic this time on a Saturday, so we should be safe to make the run.
Starting at a jog and working my way up to full tilt, we stride side by side past the first pole, then the second. Slowing our pace as we reach the third light pole, I can feel my heart hammering from the hundred yard sprint, stopping to look around, she climbs up on the concrete base as I boost her up. Reaching the top, standing together the wind whips and twists around us. White cap waves that lap so large on the shore, look like little ripples around my feet with toes hanging slightly over the side. Thereās yelling from the water, ā come one chickens!!! Jump already!ā. Looking into her crystal blue eyeās with long blonde hair blowing all around, she takes my hand and says āon 3ā.
Time and motion seems to be slowing, turning my head up to look at the sky, we lift arms upā¦ ā1ā I yell at the top of my voice, ā2ā she screams with a piecing cry, ā3ā we call out in unison. Leaping into the air, I look over to see the fear mirrored on her face as we take the leap of faith. Accelerating in one second to a blinding speed, I suck in all the air my lungs will hold, she does the same. For one second we are falling together into the water below, never to know the feeling of being to scared, ever again. Adrenalin is starting itās dizzy ways, suddenly the water roars into my ears, losing my grip on her hand in the splash. Sinking quickly at first the motion of falling slows. Kicking my feet hard, my skin is burning with tingles from the friction of moving fast through water.
Looking up to the surface I can see fractured sun light, Iām at least 25 to 30 feet below, air bubbles all around in every size are racing me back to the atmosphere. Shellyās foot kicks my arm, becoming aware of her location we struggle to the top, relieved we have survived. Breaking the surface right behind her, gasping for air, an uncontrollable laugh bursts forth from me, wiping the water from my eyeās and throwing my head back. Swimming back to shore is easy, we relate our feeling in short blurps like āthat was like, so totally narlyā, ālikeā¦ fer surā.
Moving up the sandy shore to the rocks under the bridge, we crawl up to the path that leads to the park. Thereās no one else around, shivering with goose bump skin I hold her close and share my warm, wrapping my arms around her. Laying her head on my chest, with a bear hug in place, she whispers āItās going to be a great summerā. Looking up at me, falling toward to those passionate red lips, my eyeās start to closeā¦ A massive hand grabs me by the neck and another by the arm, a booming voice breaks me free of the moment I have longed forā¦ for so long, āyour under arrest!ā.
Two officers of the Police department are taking us out from under the bridge where we see our friends laying face down in the grass. The taller officer pulling me along barks ādo you know how dangerous it is to be jumping off the bridge?ā, I stay silent and shrug my shoulders, he tells Shelly āyou should know better little ladyā. The third officer tells our friends to stand up, the officers bring us over to join the group.
They are talking to each other for a moment, the tallest one starts to speakā¦ ā Iām going to spare you the speech about drowning and cut to the chase. Thereās a little old lady that lives right over there and she called us in a frantic panic to report that children were committing suicide right before her very eyeāsā. We all start laughing and he gives us a look that says itās not funnyā¦ A sneaky smile creeps into his frown. He sighs and says, āI know every one of you trouble makers and Iām going to arrest all of you if you do this again, now all of you go over and apologize to her for scaring her half to deathā.
She is standing in her yard, looking at us with dismay while we are crossing the street to beg her forgiveness for causing such great worry. After explaining that we wanted to start the summer off with something spectacular, we all laughed and talked about how awesome it is that every one in the neighbor hood looks out for each other and their children. Turning to leave our new found friend after a long conversation about life and how precious it is, Miss Patterson ends the good bye with āMaybe you should jump off the other side of the bridge where no one can see youā, she said with a wink and a wave of her hand.
Years laterā¦
Eleven thousand feet between, gravities tug turns to yanking at my guts.
Waiting for solo sailing flight of infinity, the last door I may ever step through yearns for me.
Chaos fills the metal bird, wind screw lifted flight, in the last seatā¦ Seconds from the door.
Number one go! The jump master follows his target, Iām next! Panicā¦ shuddering pulse becomes hammering blows to the chest, mind shares with the heart what it knows.
I watch the instructor for permission to cast fate into the winds of frozen time, Number twoā¦ is that how many hours have just pasted? Both hands hold a side of the portal to the world below, drifting powder puffs dot the horizon. Go! For a moment my muscles fail to respond, greasy wobbling sickness takes overā¦ seconds of fear trail on to more. Rush of static electric vibration whips up my spine, leaping out of air stream into the great wide open.
Turbulence of acceleration in changing direction, motions, tumbling, visions of sky then land back and overā¦ I regain precarious balance on the tip of fist pressing hard into my stomach, lashing at my face. Violent bone wrenching, twitching muscles convulse at my ever quickening pace and pulse, adrenaline slams into my forehead as my eyes take inā¦ Flight. A human wing, free gliding through mother earths air mass. Falling sensation leaves me partially blind, tunnel of light, only pin point of ground visible. Blinking, squeezing hard and back like sneezing, toes curl as tension grows.
One second more, and then anotherā¦ blackness ebbs back from my sight. Iām dropping back down from my up, one thousand feet in seven seconds, one hundred and twenty miles I could pass by in an hour. Fifteen seconds and the view is a round horizon for as far as can be seen. Mazes of rivers flow under bridges to blobs of lakes, I see a flock of white bird wings diving and shifting in unison.
Jump master stays at my sides and signals for a pull test, I complete twice with successā¦ examining my mental composure in this fleeting moment, heās sliding back with graceful control and I get another signalā¦ Iām on my own. Free sensation like laying in water trying to float while fighting against sinking, in reverse. Thirty seconds and four thousand feet have flown byā¦ the critical moment about to arrive, pull the cord to survive.
I notice with sudden shock, my breathing has stopped. Oxygen is penetrating my skin through every exposed pore, six thousand feet gone to history of memory, falling from the sky. Five thousand feet from terra firma, altimeter bleeps and flashes as the headphone resonates with the wordsā¦ Rip cord now! Gripping the loop seconds before, swiftly snatching it straight out flat, drag shoot snags current and yanks a silky flower from my back.
My head snaps forward before neck muscles start resisting the rapid deceleration, from horizontal to vertical in one fifth of a second. My feet feel like liquid lead is flooding my body, two seconds of rattling nerves as rustling material dances, spreading like a sheet over a bed, opening to full sail. Slamming crack, popped broken air mass slams against the opening. Snatching and clawing for the grips, seeking control over my only hope for landing as I left the earthā¦ standing. Wrapping my hands taught, I pull soft and then tug hard left to stop right way drifting.
On course for selected landing location, one thousand feet a minute twisting in a slow buzzards cork screw motion, eyeās searching for precious moments to catch in the cage of reckless thoughts. Everything small, grows the closer to her I get, returning to life as I know it every day. Walking, riding, working, writing, talking to family, sharing and caring about those around me, wondering what I can do to help you, help me.
A thousand feet more and freedom is almost over, what goes up, never wants to come back down to lost. The needs of gravity will not be denied by my wanting a passion for life, five hundred feet to a perfect landing. Iāve got nothing holding me down, no one who wants to stick around, so Iāll throw myself on the mercy of the clouds. One hundred feet, pulling hard like a bird wing arched before a perchā¦ fifty feet in a second. Thumping one foot, to the other, over compensating, misbalanced rolling lilted tilt. Tripping over my own feet rolling to a stop.
Dust settles around me on the landing field, looking straight up to where I just came fromā¦ I realized six minutes ago I was flying high in the sky at eleven thousand feet, scared of what happens next. Not worried about tomorrows yesterday, just living in the fleeting moments of lifeās memory stored throughout histories of mistaken lessons learned.
I wait for a long pause, laying there in a puddle of thankful adrenaline, as I sat up to see the world as I always haveā¦ CRUNCH! Everything went black.
dream ripples Riding the my favorite horse flat out across the Michigan farm Iām thrown once again, left in the dust for dead dream ripples
An hour laterā¦ Waking up slowly to throbbing pain with people sitting down and standing up, maybe three or four, they say lay down in unison and as my spinning head returns to the pillow in agreement. What happened, husky voice crackles and shakes. When you sat up, another person landingā¦ hit you, a pointed finger turns my attention to the person standing on the other side of the bed. Your lucky it wasnāt a guyā¦ you would have been crushed. She stood in the light of the window, sun rays sparkled all around her as dust danced in the blades of crystal yellow white.
Iām so sorryā¦ whispers a voice broken and choked with grief, gripping my hand that I hadnāt noticed. Blurry vision gives way to clearly seeā¦ an angels eyeās are focus so intently on mine, I can feel her penetrating me. Hours turned days, common in so many ways, we become accidental friends and lovers, bounded for Five Foreverās.
Happy Friday, Have a great weekend OGās.
buttā¦ I write and draw everyday for OGās to sell OverGrowā¦ I guess Iām a community representative. 
