Skydiving Sentiments

One time I jumped out of an airplane while wearing these boots. It was in the spring of 09′, in honor of my friend’s birthday. She talked me into it. Looking back, I can’t believe I agreed to it, let alone paid 200-ish non-refundable dollars for it. I almost wet my pants when we got to the airplane hanger in who knows where South Carolina. Our “training video” which was supposed to walk us through everything from the ride up, preparing to jump, jumping, and floating back down, turned out to be no more than a five minute tutorial by an employee who used a picnic table to represent the airplane we’d soon be jumping from.

We waited for our turn and watched other people land safely. Actually, I think we waited so long that I was pretty bored by the time we suited up and got on the plane. It took a while to get up to the right height, and I couldn’t decide if the fact that my tandem instructor fell asleep on the way up made me feel more terrified, or reassured that it wasn’t a big deal. I remember the door opening and thinking “Crap. This is it.” There was no backing out, since you’re strapped to a person who will jump out of the plane and take you with him whether you like it or not. It was a crazy feeling. Overall it was really fun, and something I’m not sorry I did, but I wouldn’t do it again. The ground is good to me.

I’m a sentimental person. I have several trunks full of things that hold some sort of memory or give a nostalgic feeling when I see them. These boots are so worn down that my feet get wet if I walk on wet ground. They don’t even hold the proper shape, but I can’t get rid of them. If you survive a fear like skydiving in a pair of boots, you’re allowed to keep them forever, right?

As for the rest of this outfit, my headband is from the ever so talented Emily Angell of Borrowed Lark on Etsy. My t-shirt and necklace were gifts, the clutch is from August Lily Florist, and my jeans are an old Gap favorite.