This is a story of someone who does not wish to disclose her identity.
I was lost. Nothing made me happy. Not the 67 new messages on WhatsApp, nor the 26 new notifications on Facebook. Not the 89 new likes on my latest Instagram post. I hadn’t gotten out of my bed in weeks. I was lying there all day, crying and thinking why would this happen to me. Actually, over thinking. I had been diagnosed with a severe disease. It was curable as long as I kept myself happy and positive. I was told stressing over it wouldn’t help the process any faster. But my thoughts were dominating everything else.
3 months later, 15000 feet above the ground, my legs were hanging down from the door of an airplane. A voice screamed from behind- 3… 2… 1… JUMP! And there I was, out of the airplane, flying in the air. It was heavenly. Five minutes of flying in the air, I was thinking only about life. I didn’t see death in front of my eyes, but I saw all the beautiful colors down there, of earth and sea. The air was on my face and I could hardly breathe until I started to realize what a rich experience this was turning out to be. The smell of the ocean, the crashing waves, the fragrance of flowers that the breeze carried along with it, the setting sun, the multicolored sky and the presence of myself. When I pulled open the parachute, I knew now I can take myself anywhere I want. And, I knew where I wanted to go.
When was the last time you did something for the first time? First time of anything is magical, almost always! Seizing that first time can sometimes change your life forever. My parents arranged that holiday for me and my brother provoked me to skydive. Nobody thought it was something I shouldn’t do at that point of time. I cannot explain what feeling those 5 minutes gave me. But it was miraculous. Only in the coming few days, I saw myself recovering much faster than I had seen in the past 3 months.
If you’re thinking that I don’t over think anymore, you’re wrong. Overthinking is my second name. But now, there is a change, and I’m strangely proud of it.
When I overthink, I think about how every little incident that brought me here. How if I wouldn’t have met that one person, I would have never known that everyone has their own struggles. Or on another day, if I hadn’t got late, I would have probably died in an accident. When I overthink, the thoughts say how everything just falls into place. If I had skydived 6 months earlier, the impact would not have been made when I needed it the most.
When I overthink, I open myself to everyone’s perspective. I think how one thinks they are right in their own thoughts. I know how their intentions are different from what I interpret. How they sometimes really want to do no harm to me.
When I overthink, I think how unique each story is from the other, how people need to write books to express and pages aren’t enough. When I overthink, I think about a line that I recently listened to that said, “It saddens me to think that our entire life is boiled down to 140 characters.“
When I overthink, I think how the girl sitting next to me has had a great day at work or the one sitting on the other side is going through a breakup. How people are so different, yet so same. I think how difficult it is to show your raw emotions to someone and how I want to gather the courage to do it for someone.
When I overthink, I think how much I want to go out of my way for someone and take them to another world with me, filled with happiness as well as challenges.
When I overthink, I think about the beautiful cities around the world and the love stories that are brewing in pretty little cafés.
When I overthink, I think not only of all the wrong things but of the right things too.
Some experiences, as little as of 5 minutes, can pose a change that 5 months of being stuck in the same place can’t. It’s not necessary to do something as extreme as skydiving, but a change in the positive direction is all you need. Sometimes, that change could be right outside your window or knocking your door. You just need to look.
Your life-changing adventure is seeking you! Are you listening to it?
image: source