Let's start this story with a confession and understatement: my Friday the 13th trackrecord isn't the best ever. I'm not superstitious, but did manage to get my heart broken 3 times on a Friday the 13th within 3 years BY THE SAME GUY, among other things. Maybe it's a coincidence (I also could've been smarter and should've left after the first time) but it does make one wonder...right? I always check the calendar to see whether the 13th is on a Friday so I can at least try to not tempt fate on those days and avoid planning events that could potentially end bad (like 1st dates or jumping off a snowy mountain with a parachute). You know, just in case. But last February I forgot to check and I ended up parapenting from a Swiss mountain... |
After going over the basics he helped me into the harnas-diaper (probably not the official word) and handed me a helmet. I was hoping for a cool black or silver helmet (you know, something that would look fierce in the photo's) but NO- Antoine and I were stuck with weird, bright YELLOW hats. And with the shape of my face and the fact that I don't tan very well (a.k.a. I was pale as a ghost once again), I looked like a freaking fluorescent egg. In the meantime we had to change spots 4 times and move to the other side of the mountain & back again because the wind kept changing, causing a solo parapenter to nearly get caught in the skilift below us. I got a bit nervous, thinking 'the universe' was telling me that jumping off a mountain wasn't a good idea today but Antoine stayed positive. Meanwhile my mom was running around like an almost professional photographer and saying great helpful things like 'I'm so glad it's you and not me!'
When we finally got to jump the height difference between Antoine and me (maybe I'm shorter than I thought) made everything a bit tricky, trying to run synchronously down a hill in particular, but we managed and within seconds we were flying over the slopes and the trees. It was beautiful and peaceful while the adrenalin was racing through my veins at the same time, unlike anything I'd ever done before. I was freezing my ass off and lost all feeling in my nose, but it was awesome. After a while Antoine decided it was (insert French accent) 'Selfie Tiiime' and he attached a GoPro camera to a selfie stick, yelling 'SMILE!' from somewhere behind me.
Anyway, I survived Friday the 13th while tempting fate/throwing myself off a mountain- and it was fun! The GoPro selfies are horrible and it took me a while to close my mouth fully again (and regain my sense of smell) after the landing, but it was fun! That being said, I forgot to check my calendar again last week and have agreed to a first date tonight- on Friday the 13th. But I'll be fine. Maybe accidentally tempting fate again but I'll be fiiine. Right?!