Skydiving in Arizona is the most rewarding experience I have come to know. It is no joke, however. The consequences of an individual’s actions and non-actions produces effects that that can end in severe injury up to and including death. Therefore, it is advisable to be aware and masterful of ones own actions and non-actions. The most important action one needs to know is: arch, reach, pull.

Non-actions are actions as well. If you do nothing during skydiving, which is typically thought of as a non-action is an active motion, and then the consequences of not adjusting may be just as dangerous as choosing not to turn the wheel when behind the wheel of a car. The most important thing to know about non-actions is that they are still active motions and they carry the same consequences of actions.

This is obviously true in normal sports; however, during freefall each action and non-action carries with them consequences that occur seemingly instantaneously at 120 miles per hour.

It is amazing how much one can learn during freefall in such a small amount of time. Many things can happen in 15 seconds or less, so much in fact, it is difficult to describe. The experience of skydiving is not only one in which one learns about total body control, but it also promotes health and fitness. There are very few unhealthy skydivers.

I am going skydiving again after a few years off. The second jump of the day on the first day of training ended with the death of a young soldier, the other half of the class. I did not know him until that day as he was having the best day of his life.

I went back two weeks later to jump. I went up with a young lady going tandem who commented on her inability to take her eyes off of my face during the flight up. I caught her eye once or twice during the flight however, I never considered in all of my time in sports that a pre-game face must have certain intensity associated with it. Everyone at the facility was on high alert whenever I would go jump. They would try and get me in the air as soon as possible and I was grateful. It was the best thing I ever did.

Skydiving is such an incredibly natural experience, yet I have found it difficult to convey in written, verbal, or any other means of description. It is in the experience that one understands. Not everyone with the experience will understand, but I like to think that I do. It was fun for a time to predict who of the first time jumpers would get it or not by the time they touched down. Sometimes there are surprises, however, those individuals that appear to have the need to let things go, that do have the experience of a lifetime. Skydiving is amazing for mental health. After jumping people that are typically jumpy or nervous are calmly sedated alert and thinking clearly.

I stopped jumping after number thirteen, however, I strongly believe that the health and fitness of the entire planet would be incredible if everyone started their day in freefall.