Reflections: The Jumper (Part 1)

I never knew why I didn't really penned this down before. This was one of those crucial moments where subsequently I literally changed. One of my more memorable achievements which I like to share. Enjoy!

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At the break of dawn,
The aurora gently lights up the sky,
Slowly unveiling the scenic landscape from the blanket of darkness which preceded it.
Cool fresh air in abundance.

On the cliff edge,
Deep breaths,
Racing heartbeats,
Bounded legs,
Tense nerves,
Swelling anxieties,
Contradicting thoughts,
I can think of no better moment to do this.
I can think of no better way to go.
There is no turning back now.
I must face this head on, I must….

Three, Two, One……………….

All this began with the organization of a trip by the international students club.
A fairly simple free and easy trip to visit the infamous lake Taupo
to garner an appreciation for the magnificent views and splendor it has to offer.
One of the largest lakes in NZ, Lake Taupo is it is touted to fit the Singapore into it.
Breath taking views with full of activities,
All the right ingredients to make this an astonishing excursion.
Some arrive to soak up the spectacle,
Some arrive to rest and relax,
Some arrive to treat themselves with the multiple activities Taupo has to offer.

For me, I came here to settle a vendetta.
A personal vendetta which has haunted me for ages.
…my fear of heights.
My vendetta with this fear needs a finale.
Either I conquer and rise above it
Or be forever buried into the depths of my own fearful abyss.

The venue, A.J Hackett’s Bungy facility at Waikato River Valley,
upstream of Huka Falls, and just 5 minutes from the Great Lake.
The arena, a metal platform which stretches out from a cliff edge.
45 meters (147 feet) above the crystal clear ravine which leads into the lake.
Comparatively, that’s about as high as a 10 storey building.

Just the day before,
A group of us who in unison wanted to conquer our fears and satisfy our taste for adrenaline
sat afar at the foot of the ravine,
Looking and witnessing others who wanted to take the jump.
Some jumped and some withdrew,
There was even one HUGE Maori who needed 3 Bungy cords to accommodate his excessive mass.
He didn’t take leap.
As I watched the Maori retract his courage,
I imagined the sort of courage I myself needed to amass
to be standing at the edge of the platform…… and jump.

As the day dwindled down, we were left pondering
how will we all react standing at the edge.
That night, I was unable to lay myself to rest.
No doubt, the duel which lay ahead the next day had a lot to do with it.
One by one, the rest gave in to fatigue as I remained.
I was left with the familiar circumstance of being alone
to accumulate my nerve under the twinkling stars
sprinkled across the backdrop of the vast ebony sky…

At the break of dawn,
We were the first to arrive at the facility,
We registered, paid and literally signed our lives away.
For me, there was a unique sensation paying then signing the disclaimer.
As a close supporter so rightly put it,
“You pay others to gamble your lives away, only to relieve them
from any responsibility should anything happen to you.”
The words “ironic” and “paradoxical” flashes across my mind and
for one brief moment, I could have swore the word
“Fool” and “Sucker” emerged across my forehead.

I feverishly rubbed those words off, as I proceeded to the battle arena.
The 10 meter long platform protruding out from the cliff.
My competitive nature surfaces as I expressed my desire to be the first to leap off the platform.
Though I expected some resistance from the group, there were none.
I even thought of justifications as to why I wanted to be first.
Hmm….. At that split moment, I felt the familiar nudges under my forehead of re-emerging words.

Seated down at the front, I found myself getting acquainted with the 2 kiwi operators.
They spoke among themselves sharing past experiences.
While I think fate had nothing to with it, it was more them playing a demented prank on me,
They decided to openly “share” their mistakes with previous jumpers with me.
Careless mistakes, faulty equipment, emergency medical procedures, obituaries.
All these elements were weaved into a series of unfortunate news broadcasts to inform me of their “expertise”.
Even as they fasten my ankles with towels and Velcro, they told me that its old and a tad faulty.
They even asked me if I saw last night’s news…..
and when I answered no, they said it was good that I didn’t.
I shouldn’t be watching last night’s news, due to some unfortunate incident involving them, a jumper and some faulty Bungy cord.
One of them even offered to wash my hair by calibrating the Bungy cord to dunk my head into the ravine.
Gulp! All of a sudden, my own fears slowly cast a looming shadow over my intrepid temperament.
The 2 kiwis gestured me to step forward.
And now the time has arrived…