©2011. Darrin Lee 11/19/11-11/22/11 I published a story on skydiving five years ago nearly to the exact days of paragliding and hiking the Himalayas of the Dalai Lama's neighbourhood. Perched on the top of the hill, waiting for the go ahead to run off the face of the cliff, and breathing heavy, thin air reaching the summit of Mt. Triund- the opening quote to that story resonated over and over in my head. "For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward- for there you have been and there you will long to return." In retrospect, the first jump out of that plane and the resultant printing of Leonardo Da Vinci's quote embarked a significant focus of direction in my life, a fork in the road of sorts. I've always been a wanderer, disappearing from my parents for an hour in Disneyworld at age 7, but for the past five years I've been running, and flying, more than staying still. From pain, from pressure, from being pulled back down. It's an eerie feeling, familiarizing your own destiny. It's the life that chose you, not the other way around- A strange addiction of endless floating, ever-changing, diffused scenery. Funny thing about gravity, it truly can be selective. Some people are just not meant to remain grounded. The surface pull is weaker in those most fortunate. A hop... a skip... a jump... and up we go. -30-

• published: 27 Apr 2012
• views: 4414
• author: Darrin Lee