Reality didn’t set in until I boarded the plane. At that point, the shock came and my heart was pounding harder than ever. It began to pound hard enough I felt it in my wrists, head, and chest. Adrenaline rushed through my body. Butterflies took over my stomach, yet at the same time the feeling of pride masked those nerves. I couldn’t believe I was about to accomplish something so out of the ordinary; I was about to skydive.
The plane took off and after fifteen anxious minutes it was time to jump. I collected my nerves and listened for the instructor’s cue. Ready, set, go! After putting both knees down, I leaned through the open door. The realization that I was actually freefalling didn’t come until about half a second into the jump. Then, I reached pure bliss. The rush of the wind in my face was tangible proof I was falling. However, it felt as if time stopped and I was floating. I was in midair, giving smiles and blowing occasional kisses to the camera in front of me. The feeling was some sort of high I had never experienced before; a feeling someone could only get by jumping for themselves.
Skydiving was something I had always wanted to accomplish in life. Fortunately, I put in the effort and fulfilled that goal, only one of the many goals in my life. The list actually goes on and on. It ranges from golfing with my dad to volunteering in Africa. I’d like to accomplish all of these tasks before I die and therefore, “this I believe” in bucket lists.
To me, a bucket list challenges people to do things they wouldn’t normally do. Often, people go about their daily lives without any purpose or accomplishment at the end of the day. They get stuck in patterns of life, repeating the same routine everyday. A written list of lifelong goals provides people challenges where they can free themselves from their daily norm.
Bucket lists force people to step outside their comfort zones. The lists teach people to embrace things they wouldn’t normally choose to embrace. In my example, skydiving was definitely something out of my comfort zone. I had never done anything close to freefalling. Jumping off the high dive at the local pool was a big step for me. Now that has changed and the high dive is no big deal at all. I feel more empowered than ever.
All and all these lists give life more meaning. Just creating the list could potentially give life more purpose in itself. Meeting those goals is an even greater high; that feeling of accomplishment is something nobody can take away. I know after I landed, I was beaming with pride. No one could erase that feeling of bliss. I had picked a goal, set my mind to it, and fulfilled it. For the first time, I had accomplished something not related to school or soccer. I felt invigorated. In the future, I look forward to crossing off the next task on my bucket list.