Diving in my thoughts

So I went skydiving. My shallow pocket had been beating my urge of more than three years. West Lafayette is where my friend and senior from university days lives. Lovely town I must say, home to Purdue university, unbeatable summer weather, cool, breezy and spectacularly photogenic clouds this time of year. Were taking a spin around town when I spotted this eye catchingly ancient graveyard, where the trees grew thick and tall and the summer sun glistened and shimmered through the dense foliage to form minute patterns on the tombstones. A stroll in the graveyard with the evening sun (the town also has a mall for the afraid), confirmed existence of fear of apparitions in late 20s too. This picture proves that if one perishes in Indiana, one rests in scenic peace.

The eerie stroll was later complimented by a horror flic (wolf creek) which was a disappointment even with a mega sized and as flat as Indiana TV hooked to an equally impressive BOSE. Exploring the downtown? of west lafayette unearthed a recent chocolate-candy store where the vendor was too polite to ask me to stop sampling everything they had. We walked off with a pound of the best roasted almond-dark chocolate i've had, the last of which are going to see an end of their glamorous lives soon. A quaint lil town with a railway line (with station) running through it is this.

Skydiving day! A little bit of hesitation, some perplexing visuals and a long winding drive through Indiana/Illinois grass fields later, we found ourselves at the skydiving center, which was basically a rundown outfit at a barn and a paddyfield for an airstrip. It was almost sunset. Jim Morrison was singin somewhere far off, the barn had no neighbor for about a mile on each side, place was run by a bunch of wild kids and couple of old timer pilots smokin cigars. The planes were themselves not-so-young Cessna two seaters with one seat removed especially for parachuting. The tandem jump trainer who claimed to be a nurse in the making appeared to me a half crazed adrenaline junkie, and I was hesistant once more. Cowardice looks prettier masked with thoughtful hesitation, no? Want a video, someone asks...of course not! I am gonna be screaming my lungs out, might even pee mid-air, last thing I want it all that on video for my friends to laugh at.

Since it was a tiny (rusty, highly stickered, engines-bout-to-falloff) plane, I went with my certified co-jumper and a pilot.

10,000 feet later, everything on the ground is reduced to specks of dust and i'm saying my last prayers. I'm huddled near the door of the Cessna, when the pilot opens the door and my co-jumper asks me to hang my legs down and out of the plane. The roaring wind jumps to get his words, my shoe laces and last wits. This is when I make my first mistake...I look down. With my legs hanging out of the plane and my body about to, all the indian gods start a tandav right in front of my eyes and i'm reminded of everything since age 2 in a flash. I almost asked the pilot to turn back, but this heavy thing was obstructing my tongue..a heavy thing called male ego.

I jumped. 40 seconds of free fall, dont remember if I was breathing, the wind was cold and piercing at dusk. Free fall and gravity conspired against me knowing the presence of the co-jumper and for a while I was alone, in the clouds...falling...with my thoughts...like a hundred times before.