Falling

I can hear my own heart beat pounding.
"Are you ready?"
The voice is drowned out by the thumping in my ears and the roar of the plane's engine. I nod my head timidly and I feel all the life leave my body, my face turns pasty white. I slip on my straps and I feel suffocated by the buckles that go across my chest. Wind thrashes my body back and forth. I glance out the open door and my stomach flips upside down when I see the white clouds beneath me.
"Are you ready to go?"
The voice is patronizing me again. As I look at the face the voice belongs to, I beg with my eyes for this face to put me out of my misery. My mind shuts off all reason and turns the faucet of adrenaline on too high. I look down at the world again and quickly nod my head. they prep me one more time, checking every safety requirement to make sure I am ready physically.
No one could ever prep me emotionally.
"1..."
The voice is counting down my seconds of life I have left.
"2..."
The seconds I have left until I begin to live.
"3..."
Seconds left until I become... a bird.
"GO!"
I take two long strides towards the door with eyes closed. I jump tucking my feet underneath me as I fly out of my safe haven and into the wide open horizon. It stretches so far that it seems endless. Just as the possibilities now seem endless. It feels as though I am weightless and the wind pushes on my chest so I can no longer breath correctly.

I look down at the earth I am falling too quickly towards. Am I insane?

The wind is rushing through my hair and cleansing my mind of thoughts and I soon forget that I am even falling. It feels more like I am flying. I can feel the water residue collecting on my body as I fall through the clouds that were once below me. The clouds that I would look up at while standing on the planet I am now gravitating towards. I approach the ground and finally pull the tiny string that is my life line. My parachute floats me down to the Earth, giving me just a few more moments to feel worth more than just another person. I am literally on top of the world. I am now only inches from the ground so I point down my toes and take my first step on soil. It feels like the this is the first time I have ever walked on this soil, but I have been here before.
I stumble at first but quickly learn to stride with grace. The precious air around me calmed and makes me feel at home. In a state of peace. I smile and laugh as I take off my gear that once kept me safe. Now completely confident in the protection of the worlds arms. I completely expose myself to anything I was once threatened by before I jumped.
Before I fell... in love.