"Hey Andrew, buddy, do you still think this is a good idea?"

"Oh, yes!" is what I said a remark I do not regret.

As we drove to an unknown address in Tracy, California, I was newly surprised. I got in a car that morning not knowing where I was going. Then, a half hour from our still unknown destination, I was shocked. With music blaring, I hear, "We're going skydiving!"

Out of simple fear, I said "No. I'm scared." But, as you'll see, I wasn't and I still hopped out of a plane a bit later on.

For a first time skydiver, the experience transcends emotion — excitement, fear — especially fear. They give you your harnesses and strap you up so tight that you can't breathe, then you get in the plane. It's about a 10 minute ride up to the jumping point, 10,000 feet. And on the ride up, I spoke with the instructor and the photographer — two super chill, experienced flyers.

To them, this is like a runner just going for an afternoon jog. It's something they do all the time. And a jump like mine is so easy, a sort of walk-a-thon for a runner. To them, they can have fun. For me, it was a moment of reckoning. Was I to experience the thrill or let my inner fear take the best of me, forcing me to chicken out? Thankfully, the former prevailed, and it was awesome.

This was sort of the "Oh, fuck" moment where I thought, "Oh, fuck me. It's so windy and this is going to feel unlike anything I've ever felt."

But then I was pushed out of a plane by the guy with the helmet. Super nice guy, even though he threw me out of a plane. Normally, that kind of thing is frowned upon, but I was paying him to do so, so my legal rights to sue him for pushing me out of a plane couldn't really apply in this situation. So down I went.

Falling is damn scary. You do a couple flips, a couple rolls, then stabilize. You are falling for about 30-45 seconds, I think — but it felt like 5-10 seconds. You scream at the top of your lungs — all kinds of obscenities (mom wouldn't be too happy) — to the ears of no one. Even though you're strapped, you are, essentially, alone for about 30-45 seconds of your life. In the sky. Falling at 120 mph. It's cold. Sounds like fun, right?

Once you release the cord and the 'chute flies open, you then get to bask in the beauty of the scenery and the curvature of the world. Being a bird in the sky is a dream I realized in that moment.

Landing was anti-climactic. You just hit the ground, and that's it.

So, when you go, just jump and get ready to have the time of your life.