I was not ready for the fall but I wasn't too blind to see the writing on the wall. If you're seeing this post, it means that I made it through my 50th birthday skydive unscathed. This time I ended up with a lady instructor. I admit I was hoping I would see my original skydiver once more but it's likely he's not working there anymore. I mean, it's been ten years since my last visit.
Hemingway the instructor was nice but most importantly she got me out of the skydive alive. This time I opted not to take photos or a video since I did all that on my 40th. I was on a plane with two other customers and their instructors as well as camera and video folks since they both paid for the extra services. So unlike my first skydive, where I was the first to get out of the plane, this go around, I was the last to get out of the plane.
I don't know if it's any better being last out of the plane than it was being first. She tricked me in saying that once the initial divers did their dive, they would close the plane and go a little higher. I instead found myself in the position once again of being pushed out of a moving plane. I wasn't really ready but I had no choice but to proceed. I guess she did say I could give a sign if I didn't want to do it and they would not do the jump but I wasn't going to go out like that.
I was nervous as hell and screamed to high hell when I started plummeting from the sky but I did much better than my first dive. When she tapped my shoulders, I did stretch out my hands to wave. Then moments later when she tapped again, I did try to reach back for the parachute. But I couldn't quite find it so she wound up opening it. The freefall again was the scariest part but I was glad that all the harnesses were properly connected and I was still latched to the instructor.
The weather was perfect too. It was cold but it was sunny and in the mid-50s.
Prior to my jump I even had an old friend call me for my birthday. I don't remember if I spoke about him before in my blog but Mitch and I first met back in 2009 when I responded to an ad on Craigslist (when that used to be around) for a hookup. I met him at his place and a one hour romp wound up being an all afternoon and late evening stay.
Mitch and I wound up having a great rapport and he invited me to stay over for a BBQ lunch and later some dinner. We fooled around again later on before I left for the evening.
We met a few more times over the next few years but I knew nothing more would come of it since he was married with two kids. He was in an open relationship and his wife knew of me and she was the sweetest person too. I even met his kids (a son and daughter) twice.
Sadly he fell into some trouble in 2014 when he was accused of soliciting a nude video from a teenager. He didn't realize the boy was actually a teenager until it was too late. And apparently the boy had other older men in his web but Mitch took the fall for all of them. He wound up getting an 11 year prison sentence at a federal facility where he can't have any internet privileges and of course no freedom. He's also now a registered sex offender so once he gets out of prison, he'll have to be cautious of where he lives.
So it was great to get his call on my birthday. He timed it good too since I was waiting at the Skydive facility for my time to suit up. He's missed out on a lot of events that have happened since he began his prison time in 2017. He's missed five weddings and he couldn't be there when his wife died from cancer. His daugther also has some health issues and both of his children he said has resentment against him for what happened. I feel so bad for him. He's over half way done with his sentence and is scheduled to be released in March 2028.
We've been writing each other letters over the last six years and his emotions are all over the place obviously. I always feel bad when telling him about my issues because it can never compare to being locked up in prison. I pray for him and also pray I never find myself in that situation. He was 54 when he got convicted and sentenced and will be 65 when he gets out. Crazy.
So life goes on. It'll be almost three years since my Mom died. I plan to light candles for both my parents around All Souls Day. It's just amazing how our lives are just a small blip to the millions of years the world has existed. That's why I remind myself to try to enjoy life while you can. It really is too short.
