She stood with her back to the airplane door and let go. In her mind, this was more than just a Saturday afternoon adventure. This wasn’t just another item crossed off her bucket list. This was a new beginning. This was escaping everything and everyone that was holding her back. As she plummeted back towards earth, she felt something she had never felt in her 30 years of living: freedom. True, unadulterated freedom. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was truly in control of her destiny. And although her heart was racing a million miles a minute, a sense of peace and calm washed over her.

She continued her descent to the ground below with her eyes closed. She heard the instructor screaming commands over the earpiece she was wearing. Only one stood out: “Relax your body and let the wind catch you.” She took a deep breath and obliged. She spread her arms and legs out, letting the glider wings on her suit unveil themselves. Almost instantly, the wind caught her and slowed her descent. That sense of flying took the whole experience to a new level. Overcome with joy, she let out a loud scream. The instructor was immediately back in her ear, asking if everything was okay. She assured that she was better than okay.

A few seconds later, she pulled the ripcord and braces herself. The parachute quickly unfolded. The force of it rapidly slowing her fall caught her off guard, causing her to let out a breathless grunt. Once she regained her bearings, she drank in the view. Never in her wildest dreams did she see herself doing something like this. A sense of empowerment sprang forth as she stared in amazement at her hometown off in the distance. A that very moment, she made a vow to herself: never let anything or anybody take this feeling away from her.

Moments later, she landed on the ground with a soft thud. She quickly got to her feet and reeled the colorful parachute in, just like she had been instructed to do. The look on her face was that of pure bliss. She was soon joined by the rest of her group as well as the instructor. He congratulated everyone on a great jump as they walked back to the hangar. She quickly changed out of her gear and back into her regular clothes. As she left, she got a call from her mother asking her how she felt. “Like I’m ready to take on the world.”