"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all" ~ Helen Killer
I went to Kalimpong last year summer with the motive to tick some of the items in my bucket list. I wanted to try adventure sports such as Paragliding and river rafting. Though I couldn't do the latter due to bad weather conditions, I was successful in living one of the best days of my life on the day I flew in the sky for about ten minutes.
We reached the Kalimpong Paragliding society. I could see many paragliders in the sky and I was determined that I am going to do it. To be honest, there was a little lingering fear in my mind, but I was extremely determined to overcome my fear and experience the oneness with the sky. The excitement was much more than the nervousness.
There were two kinds of flight, medium flight of 10 minutes and long flight of 20 minutes. As it was my first time, I decided to sign up for the medium flight that was priced at 3000 INR.
I got introduced to my pilot who was a very friendly guy. He assured me that there was nothing to worry and that it will be a life-changing experience. He told me to not move when we are flying and to carry the selfie stick.
We climbed up the hill and got ready for the take off. My Dad accompanied me in climbing up the hill and motivated me to enjoy to the fullest, without letting any fearful thoughts enter my mind. I was extremely motivated by Dad's words and told him to click pictures with my camera.
During the take off, my pilot was running towards the edge of the cliff. As the cliff neared, I closed my eyes for a few seconds. When I opened my eyes, I was in the midst of the sky.
I uttered a loud "Wow!" I was overwhelmed with reverence and amazement. I looked around with the eyes of a child. I couldn't stop reveling as I gazed at the lush green carpet, the hills, the tiny roads, the cars and people that looked like toys. It was as if I was seeing the world for the very first time. The heavenly beauty and the delicious tranquility were injecting my soul with an abundance of joy and fulfillment.
It took a few minutes for the feeling to settle under my skin that I was actually amidst the sky. The wind was kissing my face with a secret welcome message and the sky was embracing me in its tender bosom.
The view changed as we flew from one corner of the sky to another. As we were flying, my eyes fell on a blue bird that was flying a few hand distance from us. I kept looking at the bird with eager eyes and assumed that the bird was also looking at me, wondering, "What are these humans doing in my territory?"
Those ten minutes of Paragliding were the closest I have ever felt to Nature, to my soul and to God. I was flying in those ten minutes, dropping every single baggage that I had.
I was one with the Nature and in complete harmony with my soul. I could feel every single heart beat of mine. I felt so alive, young, jubilant and full of positive energy. All the toxic thoughts that were there at some corner in my mind got cleansed by Nature.
I was reborn again. I fell in love with life again. Finally, it was time to land. I could see my Dad waving his hand at me as we were landing. I felt so happy to see him. Those ten minutes felt like a really long time as it had a such a huge impact on me.
After landing down, I hugged my Dad. I couldn't say a word as I was still lost in the euphoric feeling. It was definitely one of the best days of my life and I felt so good to relive those moments as I was writing this post after almost a year.
"Nothing is permanently perfect. But there are perfect moments and the will to choose what will bring about more perfect moments." ~ Mary Balogh
