Going Outside of Your Comfort Zone

On Tuesday, June 18, 2013, my husband (47) went on an adventure.  He decided that he wanted to experience skydiving, and went on a "tandem skydive".  That's where you go up in an airplane, and and you get strapped onto another person who is a trained skydiver.  He joined up with a bunch of others who also wanted to experience this.  They all go to the same gym, and I refer to them as the,"Goodlife Daredevils".

My husband said he really liked it.  In fact, he summed up his experience in a text message to me in one word:  "Kool!!!!!".   I knew when I saw the five exclamation marks, he was impressed.  When he got home, he described his experience to me and our children.  He said that he felt safe, and the only time he was in any way anxious, was when he was sitting on the floor of the airplane, at 11,000 feet, with his feet hanging over the edge. He could feel the wind whipping through his pant legs.  He said to himself, "Am I really going to do this?", and before he knew it, he was free-falling in the sky.  He could feel the cold air putting pressure onto his face.  This lasted for about 15-20 seconds, then the parachute opened up at around 5,500 feet.  He said everything became very peaceful and quiet at that moment.  The instructor handed him the controls for a couple thousand feet, then took them back for the smooth landing.  His ride was about 3-4 minutes.

He was told that only 10% of people will do something outside of their comfort zone.  And of those 10%, only 1% of those will skydive.  So, that makes 1 in 1000 people.  My husband is one of them.  I know of a few others who have done this as well.  They are brave souls.  You have to be able to put your complete trust in another person, as well as technology (that the parachute will open up).  I am afraid of roller coasters, so I doubt I can do this!

Overall, it was an exhilarating experience for him.  I say kudos to all those people who can do this.  My son says he's going to do this, soon. 

I now ask my hsuband, "What's next?!".

Have an awesome day!

-- Angela G. Gentile

The Sky's the Limit - Even When You're 80

I have no desire to skydive at this stage in my life, but I wonder if I might change my mind when I am 80?  Check out this awesome video of a woman who went skydiving with her son for her 80th birthday.  It was on her "bucket list".  She is a true "SuperAger".



Click on the arrow above or go to this YouTube link:  http://youtu.be/3FUXlYC5MyM

Have a great day!

Angela G. Gentile

Flying High

Did you ever think about what it would be like to fly an airplane?  I enjoy flying when I go on trips because it takes me to where I am going faster than it would to drive or take a train or bus.  My husband is taking flying lessons, and he took my son on one of his lessons.  My son then wanted to try flying himself.

Harv's Air is a flight school in Manitoba that offers a Discovery Flight for people 14 years and over.  My son (almost 15) went on this discovery flight and it was a perfect sunny day.  The plane was a small white, two-seater, model C-152.  The instructor's name was Mike and he started off by doing a walk-around to check the plane to ensure safety.  My son and Mike got into the plane, and Mike taxied it to the runway.  As the plane was gaining speed and getting ready for take off, he told my son to "pitch back now" which was pulling back on the control column.  He said to do it slowly.  As my son did that, the plane took off up into the sky.  My son felt excited with the feeling of flying.  Mike turned the plane in the direction they were going, and my son kept the plane going straight forward by holding the control column.  As my son looked out the window, he saw houses, fields, farms, the river down below. Mike pointed out the altimeter, the air speed and attitude indicator (nose up, nose down). My son enjoyed the view, and he said they had to wear headsets so that he could hear the instructor as the plane was very loud.  When they arrived at the practice area, Mike told my son to bank left, bank right and pitch the nose up and down.  My son really enjoyed banking and climbing at the same time.

One of the highlights of the flight was to do a spin (the spin is not usually part of the Discovery Flight - this was by special request).  A spin is when the instructor puts the nose up really high causing the plane to stall, then one of the wings tip and you start descending, or falling towards the ground, spinning in a circle.  The plane then straightens up then eases out of the dive.  My son felt the g-forces mostly when he pulled out of the dive.  People who ride rollercoasters would be familiar with this sensation.  He thought it was really cool to be staring down at the ground from the front window and he enjoyed the sensations of the g-force.  This entire spin didn't last very long (maybe 5 seconds?). 

On the way back to the airport, Mike took the controls.  He landed the plane. It was a smooth landing. The entire flight took about 20 minutes. 

I asked my son if he wants to learn how to fly and he said there is so much to learn.  He was satisfied with this experience for now. 

It's important to follow your dreams and experience new things.  It adds a little excitement to your life.

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile