New friends and a bad cold

WSOS (Women Skydivers Over Sixty) members:
Sandra, Dana, me, Hollis

I just re-read my post from last week, which was written in the early morning hours of Sunday, the second day of four possible days of skydiving in southern California. Although I made four skydives the day before I wrote it, I didn't get to make even one more jump, since low clouds moved in during the night and didn't leave until Wednesday, when I headed back home. I don't even want to think how much those four skydives cost.

It was worth it, though. I made so many new friends and connected with people who are my peers, making me feel much more normal. When I first began skydiving, I couldn't wait to tell a new acquaintance about my passion; today I keep it under wraps and sometimes never even mention it. Of course, once the word gets out, people find it so unusual that they ask me about it, and I pull out my iPad and show them pictures of my parachute, me landing, and answer any questions they have.

Wednesday during my two plane flights and bus trip, I must have come into contact with some cold germs. The petri dish environment of airplane travel, as well as the unavoidable touching of handles, makes it almost impossible for me to keep from getting sick. I was already vulnerable from the stress of the week, and now I'm sneezing, have a runny nose, and sounding very croaky. But it's only a cold, and I've started taking extra vitamins and will keep a low profile until I'm feeling better. That doesn't mean I will miss my exercise commitments, because I always feel better afterwards. I've learned that if I don't have a fever, it won't hurt me but will help me recover faster. Plus I'm addicted, ya know.

When I think back on the past week, I keep remembering my new friends whose lives I now care about and will cherish as we continue to keep in touch. That's one really good thing about Facebook; almost everyone I met is on it, and we "friended" each other. I've gone on their pages and learned about their lives outside of skydiving. In the picture above, Sandra is the only one who is not on it, but I know she is a real-estate agent and works part time. Dana has a fifteen-year-old disabled son on whom she dotes, as well as a beautiful motorcycle that matches her skydiving rig. Hollis is married to a skydiver and only started skydiving within the past few years. She was intimidated about jumping with all of us who have thousands of skydives to her hundreds, but she is very competent in the air. We dubbed her "Skypup," and I look forward to watching her progress.

I've spent more time on Facebook since I returned home than I have during the entire rest of the year. Being able to see pictures of the families and pursuits of new acquaintances is invaluable. Before now, I only got on there to see what is going on with my family and people in Boulder I haven't seen for awhile. But now I can send messages to my new friends and feel involved in their lives, even if only as an observer.

The larger reason for the gathering of SOS was to set a new record for the most SOS skydivers in a formation. Since only a few of us are women and of the six of us who set a new women's record were not interested in the larger formation, almost every one of the 72 who are attempting it are male. I've been following their progress on line, at skydivingphotography.com. They were winded out on the first day, and so far they haven't gotten the record. I don't know whether most of them will be there today, Sunday, or whether it's a day for traveling back home. The record right now is 60, and they were trying for 72. When you think about it, the pressure to perform is enormous, and I myself never do better when I'm feeling anxious. I do hope they get it.

When I was at the health food store yesterday, I was talked into trying a homeopathic remedy. I don't know about you, but I just don't understand how it works: by diluting something until it's almost not there and then taking minuscule amounts in a tablet? But I'm trying it, and who knows? Maybe it will work, along with the Wellness capsules I'm taking. I really don't like to take over-the-counter stuff, but since I'm not feeling well, I'm open to new treatments. What do you take for a cold?

Well, that's the news from my corner of the world. Now it's on to reading the blogs I follow, looking at the Astronomy Picture of the Day, reading the Sunday comics, and drinking lots of liquids to help this cold germ pass right on through. I hope you are enjoying your Sunday; I'm determined to do the same.