Jump-masters, of all people, have stories to share of people they meet on the bridge. There are stories of people pulling Jump-masters’ hair or even pants in some cases or of those who dare to jump off the bridge with an intention to overcome something that is not fear and they share a part of themselves with the masters. And this is one such story of many years ago.
It was just another day at The Last Resort and nothing was out of the ordinary. The sky was clear blue, the sun was shining bright and I could smell a little of roasted coffee beans from the bar. The day had just gotten started. The bus carrying the jumpers arrived. A lot of them seem anxious, nervous and excited. Almost as if, they just could not make up their mind regarding what exact emotions they were going through. Some were very accepting of how scared they were and shared their feelings with us. However, there seemed to be quite a few who were saying they were not that scared but their facial expressions and body language said otherwise.
There were definitely a few that were purely excited and looking forward to plunging off the bridge. After the bungy safety briefing, the group was graded according to their weight and a group was taken to the bridge. All scared or excited but each had a different reason to jump that day. Among them, was a girl with a purpose. It was her turn next. Adrenaline riled up, she came forth. She wore the harness and listened to the instruction again. She was prepared to take the leap of faith.
She crossed the bridge line and stepped on the bungy platform. I held her securely, taking her close to the edge one step at a time. Her heart was pumping fast. Then, I asked her, “This is it. Are you ready?” It is an insignificant question with a lot of significance at that moment. She said, “Yes”. The count down began, “3…2…1…BUNGY”. She jumped, trusted her senses and let gravity do its work. After the bungy, on her way up, she was the happiest. She did something so crazy that it was worth living for. Then she shared her thoughts with me and it made me the happiest as well. Well! what did she share?
I see hundreds of people coming in for these extreme sports. Each more determined than others but her, she was different for me. She came to give her life a second chance. She told me, ”I had decided to take my life then I came here thinking I have nothing to lose but after Bungy, I feel so alive that I want to give my life a second chance.” I am glad that she found there are so many crazy things in life to live for and she just got started.
