Betty’s Bay – Paragliding

Betty's Bay, on the southern coast of South Africa, is a wildly beautiful place to hang out – which I did with Bruce Mortima, a paraglider instructor who I met through the More To Life Program, and Brocas Walton, who co-trained with me in Cape Town. The three of us trooped off to the cliffs rimming Betty's Bay, where Bruce was going to show us how to paraglide. I knew nothing about paragliding, but it sounded like fun.

Actually, it takes a lot of stamina – mostly carrying the chute back up to the top of the cliff to get another ride. Not to mention galloping down the escarpment, dragging the chute while it's still on the ground – yep, that takes some commitment. but it is So Worth It.

There are several little 'tricks' to successful paragliding. First of all, laying the parachute out properly on the ground at the top of the cliff is Very Important. Brocas and I took turns waiting at the top of the cliff, while the other would harness up in the middle of the chute, then run madly down the cliff, wait for that magic moment when the wind from the bay is captured by the sail, and … voila … Lift Off. Beyond Excitement! What a thrill to be lifted off the ground, feeling the soft wind billow around me.

I was so enthralled, I forgot to pay attention to the strap things that orient the chute. One strap turns it one way, the other strap the other way, both straps lower the chute – something like that. Second tip – pay attention to the instructor. Bruce's hair almost turned white in front of my eyes. When I finally heard him yelling (which seemed to come from a great distance), I was so into the freedom of being airborne that his words didn't compute. Lucky for me, this must have been a training parachute, cuz there was an extra long rope dangling beneath my harness that Bruce was jumping to grab. Later he told me that he had visions of me just sailing off – which pretty much matched my own images, except I wasn't scared, and he was. I didn't know enough to be scared, and the whole experience was so exhilerating, and I was so taken up in the Now, I didn't have the bandwidth to imagine anything catastrophic about the future.

And that was my greatest learning. When I am completely in the Now, there is no room for the past or the future. Conversely, when I am stuck in the past or snared by the future, all I have to do is open fully to the Now – then I am free once again.