Usually, when people ask what I do at college, I don't know how to respond. I'm not in a sorority, I don't play sports, I'm not into music or theater or art, I don't do any of the things that people associate with the college experience. Sure, I go to class and procrastinate papers, but as far as extracurricular activities go, I'm often left at a blank when confronted with the question by a stranger. I've realized it's usually best to keep my answer simple... I skydive.
This response is typically met with blank stares, several rapid blinks and a follow up question to make sure they heard right. Yep, that's correct, I skydive. I go down to a drop zone before my mechanical engineering class every other day, and I jump out of airplanes. The next question I get, once whoever is asking has realized I'm being serious, is why.
That is much simpler to answer. Because in free-fall, 10,000 feet above the ground, plummeting towards the Earth at terminal velocity (about 120 mph), I find a peace and calm that doesn't exist in the real world. It's quite a strange phenomenon, as I'm quite literally pushing my body to a limit, listening to the wind whistle through my helmet, the world is completely still. Nothing else matters, not the exam I have later that day or wondering if he's going to call me back. All that exists is my own being, and whoever I'm jumping with, and the endless expanse of wide-open sky.
I never would have dreamed that this is where my college experience would take me, but I guess most of us find out passions in unexpected places. Mine just so happens to be a couple miles up. I tried to explain to a friend recently that it isn't about the rush anymore. Unfortunately the novelty of falling through the air wore off around jump 40. No, for me it's about relaxing—counter-intuitive, I know. Skydiving is about clearing my head, about reaching a state of harmony, about calming my nerves, easing my stress and finding the energy to get through the rest of my day.
Everyone needs an outlet. Life is chaotic and crazy, and everyone needs an outlet. I find my escape from chaos in something that is inherently chaotic. You don't have to skydive or for that matter, do any of the things people usually do in their free time. You do need an outlet. You need something that can get you away from life, and help you to regain your balance when you've been thrown off. Everyone does. I guess we each just have to keep looking until we find our own Shangri-La.
