It's been several hours and two full days, since I took that bungee jump on Sunday. Shashi, the jump master is one the unforgettable strangers in my life who made an impression for reasons unknown. She strapped me up and the crane ascended. When we reached the top, all I did was soak up the evening view for those few seconds. She was talking, giving me instructions but my mind was there and everywhere. I looked down at the ground and I swear my lights went out. "No wonder", I said smiling nervously. No wonder people get psyched up here. She smiled and I did listen to what she said and the last thing before I jumped was, "Turn around when I take off your (safety) hook and hold the bars. I'll give you a count of three, then jump. And don't think too much". That's when I really looked at her. She smiled an amazing smile under her bandana and short hair. Lean, tall and darkish. That moment will stay with me for life.
"one,
two,
three,
jump."
I'm normally a very stubborn person. I take a certain pleasure in disobedience once in a while. That moment was special. I just gave in. Left my arrogance on the ground before I got onto that platform. I leaned forward over the edge and I think she gasped. Was that because the girl before me had cancelled her jump? Also because a lot of people took upto 5 minutes before they jumped. Sameer and I were one of the handful of people who jumped immediately.
It's about letting go. Not getting wrapped up in vague assumptions. Why can't I apply that to my other sections in life? Anyways, for the moment, I've done something better than meditation. And really letting go. Before I jumped, I got a lot of bullshit from people about injuries to the back and neck. Nothing of this sort happened! The chest harness is good and the procedure is well looked into.
After me was Satish Babu, then Sameer and Saurabh. JUMP... JUMP... my throat went hoarse while goading others to take the plunge. Spent a good while smsing friends later. Then downed a rum spiked bottle of pepsi.