Who Jumps Out of a Perfectly Good Plane?

Who jumps out of a perfectly good plane? Apparently we do.

Before we got married, Sharon made me promise that I would never do two things til (or perhaps lest) death do us part: race a motorcycle or skydive. At the time I wanted to do both, although I had not considered the implications of my horror of heights on the latter.

She was worth it. I told her so, agreed, and crossed them off the list of things I wanted to do. We got married; I read a lot about bike racing, rode two bikes to pieces, and didn't think much about skydiving.

A few years ago Sharon started hinting that she would like to go skydiving. Upon questioning, she was even fine with me racing motorcycles. Of course, I had neither the time nor the spare money, but I know she meant it, and that meant a lot.

But skydiving... my fear of heights had not aged gracefully. While I'm fine in an airplane at any height for some reason, standing at the edge of a 3 meter high dive terrified me far more at 50 than it had at 15 (and it wasn't very nice back then). It was clear Sharon would have to jump with someone else.

Then God, through a brief prayer by my wonderful sister, Pam Rose, healed me of my fear of heights. Suddenly it was not just a possibility. It was exciting. Enticing, even. Free fall: roaring through the air at 120MPH or so (I've gone faster on a bike but not by that much). The shock of a chute opening. Slowing suddenly, hanging beneath my personal, man-made, brightly hued cloud, drifting slowly, hanging quietly in the air like a bird of prey... WHACK onto the ground, stand up laughing and screaming deliriously.

Yeah, this needs to happen. Not Sharon and Someone Else (although Someone Else is welcome to join us), but Sharon and ME, diving into the great unknown a few seconds apart. We'll be tethered to a pro, which part of me finds mildly annoying, but that's how it works, so that's what we'll do.

The reservations are made. Deposits are deposited. It's on the calendar. Her birthday is Thursday but she works that evening so we're going Saturday, Sep 7, 2013 at 3PMCDT. Skydive San Marcos. Other jumpers welcome. Observers also welcome (they have a shaded, outdoor observation area).

Who jumps out of a perfectly good plane? Apparently we do. And we can hardly wait.

 

Copyright 2013 Miles O'Neal, Round Rock, TX. All rights reserved.

Who are you? Who, who, who, who?

"Who are you? Who, who, who, who?
Who are you? Who, who, who, who?
Who are you? Who, who, who, who?
Who are you? Who, who, who, who?"

Who are you? Do you know? If not you probably you want to, and none of us know completely. Occasionally some of us are afraid to find out, but until we know who we are, we're essentially lost in the crowd. If we don't know who we are, there's always someone around us ready to tell us. They're usually wrong.

So, who defines us?

Sometimes, we define ourselves. This is natural and within boundaries OK, but (a) it's limiting and (b) can have negative results. Perhaps we observe ourselves, and declare, "OK, I see this, therefore this is who I am." Or maybe we just decide, "This is who and what I want to be, therefore, that's who I'll be." We can do worse, but we can do better as well. Since all of us are flawed, if we attempt to create our own reality of ourselves, or create us in our own image, the result will have flaws we can't even know, much less address. Even the most observant, brightest and honest person has a limited view; we can usually see part of the forest or some of the trees, but that's it.

Sometimes we let other people define us. This is also natural and within boundaries OK, but the same caveats apply. Others can see things we can't, but there are always things they will judge wrong, or can't even begin to know or guess at reasonably. And some of them just want to manipulate us for their own reasons. At best that makes us objects to be used, pawns in a game. At worst, it makes us slaves as we are trapped in our belief of who someone else said we are. To some extent, we will always get who we are from others-- our parents, our friends, our teachers, our mentors, even our enemies. Just make sure that before you embrace it or let it take root, that they're right.

Sometimes we let circumstances define us. This appears to be a mixture of the first two, but in reality it's just a passive or passive-aggressive version of defining ourselves. We simply react to what's going on around us, and let our emotions and instincts rule us. The result can be difficult to distinguish from an animal; at best it's merely pitiful. Do you know someone who's always angry, or always sad, or at least always emotional and incapable of doing much about it? Or someone who just drifts along? Or who at best is just never happy? Or mindlessly content? All of these people become ineffective in life, if not apparently useless. Who wants to live there? (I realize that sometimes these are symptomatic of deeper problems require counseling; that's another issue.)

We can let God define us. He made us and knows us inside and out, backward and forward, past present and future. He loves us, every last one of us, and wants the best for us. Who better to define us? Who better to tell us who we are, and how to become that person? It's not the easiest path. It's not always a fun path. But the result is infinitely better than the others, because it's the right path. We don't hit all those dead ends, sink in all those bogs, or end up as buzzard bait in the middle of the desert.

The title of this note (and opening lyrics) came from a song by the Who. A thorough band of heathens, they never the less came up with a profound image of the concept. Well into the song they say,

"God, there's got to be another way."

Presumably "God" in this context is just an exclamation of despair, an accidental prayer rather than an intentional one. But I love where they go with this.

"I know there's a place you walked
Where love falls from the trees
My heart is like a broken cup
I only feel right on my knees

"I spit out like a sewer hole
Yet still receive your kiss
How can I measure up to anyone now
After such a love as this?"

Wherever they were coming from, they summed it up nicely. So long as we try to define ourselves against the vast panorama of creation and God's glory, we can't measure up. But if we quit trying, and let the creator and the glorious one define us, then we recognize our place in that vast panorama, that glory, that kiss, "such a love as this". And we can not only be content with who we are, we can revel, rejoice, party in it-- and be right.

Not sure who holds the copyright to the lyrics, the Who, their record company, or... who.