A New Beginning
“Do you trust yourself to save your own life today?”
When my skydive instructor asked me this moments before my first solo skydive she had no idea that at some point in my future this activity was a planned exit point from this lifetime. She simply asked with regards to my confidence to handle any curveball that may happen up there.
What I didn’t know was that this question would forever change my life and serve as a metaphor that would guide my upcoming years.
I had spent two years trying to out run the shock and grief of a loss at the time I was not prepared to face in my father’s unexpected and sudden passing.
It was as if the question itself demanded a deep breath in and a moment of pause. I took a walk down the gravel road leading to the drop zone. I pondered how life itself is a lot like a solo skydive. That only we can pull our own parachutes. Only we can fight and do whatever it takes if something malfunctions on our journey. What I realized is that no one is coming to save you, and even if they wanted to, it isn’t possible. Even in expressing your position, it would be heard and filtered through the lens of their own personal experience, so no one can truly comprehend where you are, but you.
As I walked I felt this metaphorical question settle into every cell of my being and lighting up spaces inside of me that had gone dark. It gave me hope and a roadmap forward where I didn’t see one prior. I put on my helmet and hopped on the next load, still in a space of reflection on the way up. I jumped from the plane with two instructors insuring I stayed in balance like a baby bird taking its first flight (ironically mirroring how we often start our life with our caregivers). I waved my arms to signal I was at altitude to pull my parachute at which point the instructors flew away. I reached back, pulled the chute and felt myself almost get sucked up into the sky as the rapid freefall came to a halt. Looking overhead I saw the parachute inflating mirror the deep inhale that filled my lungs, and a primal howl of celebration came from deep within free from any conscious thought. My feet touched down on the earth as if it was my first steps onto the path I now walk, with a radical ownership of my experience and how I navigate life's inevitable curveballs and challenges.
I reclaimed my life in an instant, and I knew, just like this jump, I would do anything it took to experience life in more ways that would set my spirit free.
My intention for this platform is to share moments of my life that hold deep and potent lessons of empowerment. To share invaluable tools I have encountered and studied along my path that may serve as inspiration for you on your journey. The primary human need is connection. So my core intention here is to drop into the human experience with my brothers and sisters who have joined the Inner Summit Center community.
I believe that there is no coincidence of our experiencing a parallel timeline in the here and now, and that life is a classroom in direct service to our expansion and greater purpose. It is all our own personal responsibility (whether we choose to take ownership of it or not), from our quality of life, the levels of connections, and direct life experience.
I believe in the light within humanity. I believe in our capacity to heal ourselves. To choose differently than our initial programming when it does not serve us. And in our innate ability to create miracles.
Thank you for joining me,
Aho
