[OT] To Sky-Dive @ Eighty-Five

Pat wrote:

The worrisome thing about such an elderly fellow doing it is the fact that
first of all, he's had both hips replaced already, and back surgery, and
finally, he's old enough that a jolt like landing from a sky dive could
damage thinned bones and/or joints.

He is most likely aware of the risks. At that age, you could die at any
moment, so maybe he figures, why not die doing something exciting, if that's
his time to go?

My father and I used to go across the river to Canada (from Detroit) to play
snooker and buy a certain type of whiskey that was much cheaper over there.
He had to make frequent trips because there was a limit on how much of it
could be imported duty-free after a short trip. There are two ways to drive
from Detroit to Windsor - a bridge over and a tunnel under the Detroit
River. I was too afraid to go on the bridge, and my father was too
claustrophobic to enter the tunnel. So he would drop me off at the tunnel
entrance and let me take a bus to the other side, while he drove over the
bridge.

Your dad sounds like a good guy, at least from this story. Very accomodating
of him! My father would have forced me to go over the bridge.

How does one go from being willing to jump down from high places, to being
unable to bear even being up there? These days I am afraid to stand on a
footstool. I think I would enjoy the sensation of "flying" but I'd probably
never get up the nerve to "take off".

I've never been all that sure-footed or confident about heights, even
when I was younger and far more fit than I am now. It's only gotten worse
as I've gotten older (and lazier).

(At to planes, I don't mind as long as there's a solid floor. But I hate the
physical sensation of traveling at super-sonic speed and the altitude of a
jet. I much prefer a small plane.)

Ironically - and I'm sure you know this - a commercial jet is much, much
safer. Those little planes crash a lot more often. They're closer to the
ground (higher altitude is safer because there's more time to recover from
a problem), and they're a lot more subject to being tossed around by wind
shears and other environmental threats. But phobias aren't rational, and
I've been known to be terrified by possible but extremely unlikely events,
while staying relatively calm during real danger.

--
Joyce ^..^

(To email me, remove the X's from my user name.)

wrote

| Ironically - and I'm sure you know this - a commercial jet is much, much
| safer. Those little planes crash a lot more often. They're closer to the
| ground (higher altitude is safer because there's more time to recover from
| a problem), and they're a lot more subject to being tossed around by wind
| shears and other environmental threats. But phobias aren't rational, and
| I've been known to be terrified by possible but extremely unlikely events,
| while staying relatively calm during real danger.

I'm not afraid of flying as such. I just don't enjoy flying - in a jet. The
way I figure it, if something goes wrong while flying and one must jump out,
at least in a small plane when you jump out there is AIR to breathe.

I know what you mean about irrational phobias. My mother had one about
snakes (which I've always loved). I don't mind being tossed around by the
wind, or by the sea on a boat, unless it's a really large ship.

All that said, there is something about skydiving that appeals to me.
But maybe not enough to actually do it. I did try parasailing once,
which scared the crap out of me, but was worth it.

I've only known two people who did either.

The one who parachuted broke both ankles and was still walking with
a slight limp when I last saw her about ten years ago (several years
after it happened).

The guy who did paragliding smashed his legs up so thoroughly they're
full of metal pins and he can only walk a few hundred yards; he'll
probably end up in a wheelchair.

I kinda fancy hot air ballooning but I'm sure somebody has a story
about that...

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wrote in message
...
Joy wrote:

Why not? He jumped on his 80th. I jumped on my 70th and my 71st. A
friend who was dying of cancer jumped a couple of months before he died.

I was thinking of you when I saw that post.

In the first place, it's probably safer than driving on the freeway,
especially if you do a tandem jump with an experienced jumper. In the
second place, the view is incredible, and it's an experience a
relatively
small percentage of people ever have. In the first place, overcoming a
fear
is very empowering.

If your heart survives the experience, that is.

As for overcoming a fear, I don't know that doing something once is
enough. When I was younger, I had a fear of flying (yes, I didn't even
like to fly in planes, much less jump *out* of one!). But after taking
many trips, I've more or less gotten over it, although I'm always
anxious in the few days preceeding a long flight. I manage to get
through the actual flight, at least, though I confess to using chemical
aid.

It definitely took me quite a few flights before I got used to it
enough not to be a total wreck.

All that said, there is something about skydiving that appeals to me.
But maybe not enough to actually do it. I did try parasailing once,
which scared the crap out of me, but was worth it.

--
Joyce ^..^

Overcoming a fear isn't necessarily curing it. However, I felt much more
confidence in myself because I did something that terrified me. Even on my
third jump, I was terrified when they opened the door to the plane, but once
I was out, it was glorious.

I'm surprised you found parasailing scary. It was so gentle that if you
couldn't look and see the view, you wouldn't even know you were in the air.
I'm glad you think it was worth it, though.

I do understand that a phobia is not an easy thing to cure, and many of them
never get cared at all. However, I've always liked Eleanor Roosevelt's
quote, below.

--
Joy

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience during which
you must stop and look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you
cannot do" - Eleanor Roosevelt

"Matthew" wrote in message
g.com...

wrote in message
...
Joy wrote:

Why not? He jumped on his 80th. I jumped on my 70th and my 71st. A
friend who was dying of cancer jumped a couple of months before he
died.

I was thinking of you when I saw that post.

In the first place, it's probably safer than driving on the freeway,
especially if you do a tandem jump with an experienced jumper. In the
second place, the view is incredible, and it's an experience a
relatively
small percentage of people ever have. In the first place, overcoming a
fear
is very empowering.

If your heart survives the experience, that is.

As for overcoming a fear, I don't know that doing something once is
enough. When I was younger, I had a fear of flying (yes, I didn't even
like to fly in planes, much less jump *out* of one!). But after taking
many trips, I've more or less gotten over it, although I'm always
anxious in the few days preceeding a long flight. I manage to get
through the actual flight, at least, though I confess to using chemical
aid.

It definitely took me quite a few flights before I got used to it
enough not to be a total wreck.

All that said, there is something about skydiving that appeals to me.
But maybe not enough to actually do it. I did try parasailing once,
which scared the crap out of me, but was worth it.

--
Joyce ^..^

(To email me, remove the X's from my user name.)

I have sky dived, Para sailed, bungee jumped before when I weighed less
and a lot younger. Was it worth it YES IT WAS. Would I do it again
depends on what is for dinner ;-)

Bungee jumping? Now that's something I don't think I could ever do.

Joy

"Pat" wrote in message
et...

wrote
| When I was younger, I had a fear of flying (yes, I didn't even
| like to fly in planes, much less jump *out* of one!). But after taking
| many trips, I've more or less gotten over it, although I'm always
| anxious in the few days preceeding a long flight. I manage to get
| through the actual flight, at least, though I confess to using chemical
| aid.
|
| It definitely took me quite a few flights before I got used to it
| enough not to be a total wreck.
|
| All that said, there is something about skydiving that appeals to me.
| But maybe not enough to actually do it. I did try parasailing once,
| which scared the crap out of me, but was worth it.

The worrisome thing about such an elderly fellow doing it is the fact that
first of all, he's had both hips replaced already, and back surgery, and
finally, he's old enough that a jolt like landing from a sky dive could
damage thinned bones and/or joints.

On all three of the times I went skydiving, there was no jolt when we
landed. I was strapped to an instructor, who landed on his knees. I landed
in a sitting position. We gently touched down and then skidded a few feet
before we came to a stop.

snip

How does one go from being willing to jump down from high places, to being
unable to bear even being up there? These days I am afraid to stand on a
footstool. I think I would enjoy the sensation of "flying" but I'd
probably
never get up the nerve to "take off".

(At to planes, I don't mind as long as there's a solid floor. But I hate
the
physical sensation of traveling at super-sonic speed and the altitude of a
jet. I much prefer a small plane.)

It is interesting how different people perceive things differently. I
prefer small planes to large ones because you are closer to the ground in a
small plane and can see more and feel that you are actually moving. In a
large passenger jet, I feel vibrations but don't have a sensation of moving,
and most of the time you're too high to see the ground - not to mention
there are usually clouds in the way.

Joy

"Pat" wrote in message
...

wrote

| Ironically - and I'm sure you know this - a commercial jet is much, much
| safer. Those little planes crash a lot more often. They're closer to the
| ground (higher altitude is safer because there's more time to recover
from
| a problem), and they're a lot more subject to being tossed around by
wind
| shears and other environmental threats. But phobias aren't rational, and
| I've been known to be terrified by possible but extremely unlikely
events,
| while staying relatively calm during real danger.

I'm not afraid of flying as such. I just don't enjoy flying - in a jet.
The
way I figure it, if something goes wrong while flying and one must jump
out,
at least in a small plane when you jump out there is AIR to breathe.

I know what you mean about irrational phobias. My mother had one about
snakes (which I've always loved). I don't mind being tossed around by the
wind, or by the sea on a boat, unless it's a really large ship.

Yes, phobias are interesting and irrational things. I've always had a
love-hate relationship with heights. I love being up high if there is
something (like an airplane) around me or if I have something to hold onto.
I'm terrified of heights otherwise. That meant that it didn't take any
courage at all for me to learn to fly a plane in my 40's, but it took all
the courage I could muster to jump out of an airplane. In fact, up until
about six months before my 70th birthday I often said that if I were in a
plane that was on fire, and was wearing a parachute, someone would have to
push me out of the plane and then pry my hands loose from the sides of the
doorway.

Joy

Joy wrote:

Overcoming a fear isn't necessarily curing it.

I see what you mean. I tend to think of those things as synonymous.

I'm surprised you found parasailing scary. It was so gentle that if you
couldn't look and see the view, you wouldn't even know you were in the air.
I'm glad you think it was worth it, though.

Hey, we all have our levels of fear to deal with. I guess I'm more afraid
of heights than you are. Parasailing is probably the safest of all the
"suspended in air" sports I can think of, so it made sense for me to try
that first.

I do understand that a phobia is not an easy thing to cure, and many of them
never get cared at all. However, I've always liked Eleanor Roosevelt's
quote, below.

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience during which
you must stop and look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you
cannot do" - Eleanor Roosevelt

If that quote inspires you, that's cool. I really mean that. But when I
was growing up, I was full of anxieties and phobias, and I was constantly
ridiculed and berated for my fears. My dad would alternate between that
and trying to reassure me, so I was never sure which response I would get.
Please note that this is not the same thing as gently encouraging a kid
to take on things she's afraid to do. Being told you're a "baby" or that
you're "stubborn", or whatever, is really not helpful. Unfortunately,
Eleanor's quote just ends up striking me the same way. I do get it that
most other people don't hear it that way.

--
Joyce ^..^

(To email me, remove the X's from my user name.)

Joy wrote:

"Matthew" wrote in message

I have sky dived, Para sailed, bungee jumped before when I weighed less
and a lot younger. Was it worth it YES IT WAS. Would I do it again
depends on what is for dinner ;-)

Bungee jumping? Now that's something I don't think I could ever do.

Is there a weight limit for that? I would think there would be. Just
curious. I'm not exactly standing in line to jump.

--
Joyce ^..^

(To email me, remove the X's from my user name.)

wrote in message
...
Joy wrote:

"Matthew" wrote in message

I have sky dived, Para sailed, bungee jumped before when I weighed less
and a lot younger. Was it worth it YES IT WAS. Would I do it again
depends on what is for dinner ;-)

Bungee jumping? Now that's something I don't think I could ever do.

Is there a weight limit for that? I would think there would be. Just
curious. I'm not exactly standing in line to jump.

--
Joyce ^..^

(To email me, remove the X's from my user name.)

I am past the limit now ;-) for all but one
250 for the sky diving or that is what the local dive school say is there
limit
Para sailing 400lb total according to the cruise lines explanation
bungee 250 that was what it was when I jumped


I will never do bungee again I jumped from a bridge over water up north
most do it from a crane nope not me seen to many accidents