“I have a dream!” – I said to my best friend ten years ago. I remember very well, it was 2009, I came to Maia and declared: “I want to jump with a parachute!”
She said, I want to do it with you.
If you think this story has a happy ending, I’ll have to disappoint you. It really doesn’t.
So, Nick and Maia, my friends, and I went to Cherkassy. Yes, we were jumping there. Our friend Sasha who also decided to jump with us found a very interesting proposition in Cherkassy. It was rather cheap – less than $20 which should have raised our suspicion back then. However, we were absolutely unwilling to notice any signs.
As soon as we arrived to the place, a little bit of concern started creeping in. We were taken to a doctor’s office. Ok, office is a big word for that little shed with broken windows and shabby tables and old table cloths. The doctor was trying hard to look professional but that’s really hard to do when your eyes are swollen after a night of heavy drinking.
The next person who almost made us change our mind was a short little man with greasy hair and red eyes. Why do you think he’s so important for my story? He was folding our parachutes. We were witnessing this poor little man with severe hangover hold our lives in his trembling hands.
And that wasn’t the worst thing yet. After we were told about several different places we might land on and need to be prepared because it could be wires, roofs of houses, trees or water, we were given two parachutes because if one doesn’t open, the next one will, for sure. We put on a helmet and, full of dying enthusiasm and fading determination approached the airplane.
That was the last drop. Remember movies about Second World War. That old shabby airplane looked liked it had just been taken from the battlefield. The only thing missing from that picture were the holes from shrapnel on that plane.
In any case, it was too late to back out so we proceeded with boarding the ‘death plane’. Our friend Sasha was the heaviest, so he jumped first. I was probably fourth or fifth and will remember that moment for the rest of my life. The opened door, you’re standing in front of it and waiting. Your heart is pounding like never before and you can feel blood in your temples beat the rhythm of a machine gun. Finally you jump, 301, 302, 303, pull! Breathe!
And this is when my happy story ends and now comes … disappointment! This is it? 3 seconds of thrill and then just hanging? It’s boring! Where’s the excitement in that? I had been dreaming about that since childhood.
Don’t get me wrong, I did receive the feeling of accomplishment and none of us broke any bones, but still the experience was a bit of a disappointment.
And that’s when I understood, I want to dream much bigger. Yes, this childhood dream is fulfilled, but there’s so much more I can do. There’s so much higher I want to aim.
And you know what’s sad, I see so many people aiming too low, dreaming too small, fearing to try. You’re created with incredible, enormous potential, unique talents, wonderful dreams! Sometimes you might think they’re impossible because how can you go after them? There’re so many other people who could do it better? I say – go for it! Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you’ll land among the stars.
Let me say this again even though it’s as old as our world, but there’s nothing new under the sun: Dream big! Aim high! Act bold!
