A couple months ago, with her now faithful life partner next in the jump line, she did it. The two of them went skydiving. When I watched their videos, I was filled with awe that she would dare to jump out of a plane at 14,000 feet. She fell at a speed of 120 miles per hour! The picture of her, taken by the company's photographer that documents each jumper's experience, is now her computer desktop wallpaper. Firey sunset colors outline the profile of her body, and her face is the picture of pure, living-in-the-moment joy.
I'm not an adrenalin junkie, but I crave experiences that force me right in the middle of the present. I want my immediate senses hightened, my emotions raw and all about the moment, not the moment before or the one after. So, I've been thinking: What would that experience be, for me?
I've never scuba dived on a coral reef. That comes right to mind. I'm sure there are other ideas if I gave myself more time to think. But, scuba diving would be awesome! Oh, and I want to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. And I want to climb over the top of the bridge at Sydney's harbor.....
What about you? If money were no object...what would you dare do?
52 comments:
Buy a ranch out west and do nothing but write. I'm afraid of just about everything, so I would be spontanious or anything. I would love to see far away places (Ireland to be exact) but I refuse to fly over the ocean. I suppose I could take a boat/cruise, but I'm terrified of a Titanic type accident. I'm not normal, I know. ;-) My problem with doing all those fun things is I like to be in control, and I'm pretty much afraid of anything I can't control. So, a ranch out west for me!
~JD
huh. i dunnpo. skydiving seems pretty awesome...
All I've ever wanted to do is to travel the world. So yeah, I'd do a world trip - stay as long as I felt liked in each place - no return date - no budget.
*shudders* I would never ever ever ever ever ever go skydiving. *turns green at thought*
Heh. I don't know how many people saw this one Bean (british comedian) episode, where he went swimming. He climbed up to the high diving board over the swimming pool - and realized too late how high it was and freaked out...
The people I watched that with were laughing their hearts out. Meanwhile I sat there and sheepishly remembered doing the same exact thing.
I got stuck on the high diving board and wobbling/crying I had to somehow crawl back to the ladder and get down to solid safe ground. Meanwhile I was convinced I was going to fall and die.
That was just a diving board over a pool. Sky diving would be a 100 times worse, right? :O
If money was no object - I want to go hiking in South America. :)
I'm pretty much the same as Justine. I'm not the daring/adventurous type - though a leisurely life of golf and writing sounds like my style.
I'm not very adventurous, but if money weren't a problem, I'd like to alternate between writing all day in my pajamas and traveling, especially to Japan and other East and Southeast Asian countries. That's always been a dream of mine. :)
If money were no object I would travel once my youngest leaves home which is this fall. My husband and I would go live in the south of France. We would walk everywhere and lose weight, trying not to notice the skinny French people laughing at the fat American couple. We would visit the UK. I would want to live in London for awhile. In Dublin. Not Asia. Just visit, not stay. Except maybe Bali. I might stay there for awhile.
I think sky diving is as good as it gets.
I have to say that scuba diving would take tons of courage because I'm terrified of sharks. I'd have to get over that fear first!
I'm glad to hear their relationship is solid once again and that they choose to live in each and every moment!
I would go base jumping, hang gliding off the top of every mountain, mountain climbing, safaris, jungle exploring, skiing in the Swiss Alps... pretty much everything except sky diving. :-)
Travel the world...
I'd love to hang glide, but my protective husband has said no way!
However, I am a roller coaster junkie, so traveling the world to ride them all would be a must if I had the money.
I think world travel would definitely be on the list. I'd love to see, do and explore distant places.
No to the sky-diving. I'm mildly acrophobic, and it does not appeal in the slightest. ;-) Even after hearing that lovely story.
I want to visit the UNESCO world heritage sites. There are 890. (Hey, money is not object.)
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list
I enjoyed this post very much.
Travel the world at a leisurely pace, stay in fine, 5 star hotels. Eat, drink, love and write my way across the planet (with husband).
I've always wanted to swim with dolphins and orcas, though I'm phobic about boats generally (is that weird). They just seem like amazing creatures.
I've touched whales off the coast of Baja and learned how to fly a plane, so I'm pretty good with thrills. I would buy a place in NYC and then travel around the world and write.
I would see the world and buy a house in five different places so I would write in a new setting based on my mood. I could see myself on a Tuscan balcony, writing with a view of rolling countryside and vineyards :)
If money were not an object and time were no constraint, I would probably be in Beijing right now.
Wow, you're a climber? I wouldn't have guessed. Keep us posted on how this goes. I'd love to hear about the scuba. :)
For me it was snorkeling in the ocean with sting rays! We did it on a cruise, and I screamed so much. But I did feel alive. (I'll never do it again but I'm glad I did it.)
I think you should scube dive!
Not sure what I'd dare do, but I do remember years ago snow skiing and feeling the in-the-moment high of traveling down the mountain with my mind on absolutely nothing else. When I successfully reached the bottom, I laughed hysterically from the pure emotion of it all.
If money was no object, I would travel! I want to see every continent and every state in the U.S. (I've been to more than half of the states already, though!) and linger on as many tropical islands as possible! Ahhh, the possibilities...
I'd sail around the world
I would not do anything very daring. I'd have an apartment with a bay view in San Sebastian, Spain & I'd write like crazy.
Travel, travel, and more travel.
I agree with several others - TRAVEL!
Great post and awesome question. For me, I'd go to race car driving school. I love. To. Drive. FAST! It's a rush. ;)
I'm not much into things that make the heart thump. As boring as it sounds, I'd do exactly what I'm doing now, but I'd have a maid. And hire someone to take care of the garden. And do all the crap I don't like doing, so I feel less guilty doing the stuff I like most.
I'd like to try a ZORB. You should google it - they look like so much fun!
I'd also love to go to Disney World and spend as much time as I want to in each of the parks. My family and I went last year and a week just wasn't enough for everything!
Nice post! I'm not brave enough to skydive... thanks for sharing. Have a fantastic weekend!
I would travel. It is not as scary or exhilarating as throwing yourself out of a plane or something, but I would love to do it. I would love to be able to travel around the world, drink coffee, and just talk with people.
I would travel the world. See everything I have always wanted to see.
I'm not an adrenaline junkie either.
When I was in New Zealand, I went zorbing. That was scary, but really fun. I've also alweays wanted to try bungee jumping!
Rock climbing. (Done it. Need to do more of it.)
Snowboarding. (Skiied. Need to branch out.)
Motorcycle racing. (Wife might have something to say about this.)
I would go to New Zealand. It has been my dream for many years. I have a whole book shelf with volumes on those islands. LAND OF THE LONG WHITE CLOUD is what the Maori call it.
Statistics prove that if you move there, your life expectancy goes up 7%. The air is purer, the water clearer ... My dream shows, huh?
May some of your dreams come true, Nicole. Roland
I would like to conquer my fear of heights and ride in a hot air balloon. Skydiving is unthinkable. Same with Scuba. But, the balloon. Sigh. Might just have to admire their beauty from the ground.
Probably race car driving. I've loved going fast since I was a child. The highways, you have to be cautious, don't want to kill anyone else.
I've piloted small planes but I would never jump. That scares me.
Oh, wow. I think I'd probably want to dive with sharks or something! :-) You know, something so crazy it would be life-changing.
Yeah, I'm not really the adventurous type, but I think maybe a trip to Greece or Italy would get my blood pumping! Have a great weekend!
I give your cousin credit for her strength.
You and my husband would be besties. We dive, he's planning to climb Kilamanjaro and I plan to get a pedicure across the country while he's at it. My big thing? I want to backpack. Not just Europe. I want to take months and months and months off and see everything I possibly can.
First, Daredevil was one of my FAVORITE comic characters growing up. That brought back some awesome memories seeing that photo.
Scuba Diving...been there...done that.
Sky Diving...I haven't done everything there is that I want to do on the ground yet.
I'd like to take one year to travel around the US going from sporting event to sporting event. Baseball at Wrigley Field, Football at Notre Dame, Hockey in Minnesota, Soccer in Dallas, Basketball at UNC. That would be awesome!
Great question! I'd love to go to Africa & go on some photographic safaris and other animal watching expeditions.
I'm not a daredevil. If money were no object, I'd buy a beach bungalow somewhere and write all day.
travel -- sit outside at little cafes and write. maybe i would do this for an entire year, since money is no object.
i would also get a personal trainer, a chef, and a new house, a decorator and a stylist.
i'm just being honest. ;)
Hi, Nicole! We thought along the same lines for today's post. I must admit, I would pack up my husband's and kid's things, head out west and find a nice cattle ranch to purchase. Then, I would spend my days writing all day long!
BTW, I posted an award for you today! I hope you have a great weekend! Tory
I'm all about routing and creature comforts, but I've often thought if I had the money I would like to be one of those world travelers who avoids the touristy spots and instead seeks out the back alleys and huts and treehouses of the true natives and lives with them until the travel bug bites again. P.S. I have an award for you on my blog.
Nicole, are you participating in Harley D. Palmer's BODY LANGUAGE BLOGFEST?
http://thelabotomyofawriter.blogspot.com/2010/04/announcing-body-language-blogfest.html
It sounds like it might be a challenge. Roland
Roxy, great post. I just stumbled across your blog via Tory Minus this morning and actually posted a topic on being an adrenaline junkie a few months ago (great minds think alike:-)
For me, every time I submit my ms to an agnet who has requested it is quite the rush. A bit frightening, but once you hit "send". . . it's gone! In terms of dream rushes, I would love to be in the FBI (a la Jack Bauer) and pursue a personality or character that my daily life is the complete opposite from.
Great post!
I long to be the person Angie writes she would be if money were no object, travelling outside the tourist routes. I think I would actually travel for a while staying in nice hotels and then settle down in a house of my own in beautiful countryside and write and read.
- Sophia.
I guess I'm boring I get that kind of buzz from watching a thunderstorm come over the mountains.
I love mountain hiking. I love it! The few times I've been able to do some serious mountain hiking I've felt like it was a gift from god, to see the amazing beauty of this world and touch it and feel it, in such raw surroundings.
One of my friends sky dived for charity and I was so proud of her! I'd NEVER do it myself but I could understand what drove her to it, the exhiliration and adrenaline.
Jai
Hang gliding! I've always imagined that would feel the most like flying. :)
What a great story!
I've always wanted to try hang-gliding, too. Or a hot-air balloon!
Hope you're having a great weekend.
I would not work and read and write all day, while going on a cruise around the world. Yup.
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