On Saturday, May 2^nd MinK charted on a new adventure into the unknown world of TRAPEZE.  Whose harebrained idea was this you ask?   I don’t remember…but all I know is it was an absolutely terrifying yet invigorating experience!

Trapeze was definitely more my fear than Kent’s.  Although Kent is afraid of heights and gets dizzy, she has, as she would like to put it, “undeniable, incredible upper body strength.”   This aided her in her swinging escapades.  I, on the other hand was not so lucky.  With these weak and pathetic arms and my inability to stand on a chair without feeling woozy…I knew I would be in trouble.

Leading up to trapeze, I was having nightmares of falling to my death with no safety net, or vomiting in the air as I swung high up in the sky.  I didn’t want my vomit to hit my face due to centrifugal force.  In retrospect, I should’ve worn a barf bag and attached it to my face.  Kinda like a surgeons mask…except…not.

So imagine this scenario… you’re forced to go up a ladder about 3 stories high with no safety rope while Richie Gaona, the fiercest trapeze instructor in the world, barks orders at you.  (I’ll be honest…we kinda liked it when Richie yelled and told us what to do.  It was very manly and hot.)  When you finally reach the top, you step onto this tiny, little plank and the world looks miniature.  But what surprised us the most was the swinging itself.  The force of the swing was so strong and intense…nothing like we’ve felt before.  It was as if we were on a roller coaster, except this roller coaster didn’t have tracks or a seat belt.  On our first swing we screamed like little five year olds.  I thought it was the end for me.

But every time we went up again and again, I remember looking around and being touched by my girl friends surrounding me.  The fact that we all united to do trapeze together, that there was nothing but love and support between us and the fact we were all facing our fears and breathing through it together...was such a lovely sight to see.  I am the luckiest lady in the world with the most amazing girl friends on this planet.

Although I probably won’t do trapeze again for a while, I feel proud to have gone through it with my gal pals and accomplished it!  MINK DID TRAPEZE!

On a side note:  I am convinced that Kent’s “powerful upper body strength” combined with her drive to be the best, gave her a leg up on the competition. You win this time Kent King… but you wait until we get to our next segment of facing YOUR fear of math and numbers.  I’m Asian…we know math.  You’re SO screwed

-M

 

K: Look, I don’t get on a plane without taking Ativan. Minae, you’ve seen me. I’m a mess on the airplane. So the thought of jumping out of one, just didn’t make any sense to me. That’s why I cried like a baby. I was terrified. I knew I was going to do it, I just didn’t understand how.

M: I wore diapers under my jump suit because I was scared that I would be so frightened, I would pee my panties. Now that’s scary.

K: Yeah, you said right from jump you were going to do that. And sure as shittin’ you did.

M: Turns out, I didn’t need them though. Jumped out like a pro and landed like a beautiful, Asian, Bald Eagle.

K: Were those diapers comfortable?

M: Actually after I put them on, I forgot I was wearing them. I guess they were made for comfort? I don't know. I thought it would feel bulky, but it was actually very nice.

K: Sky diving was absolutely the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but also one of the greatest things I could’ve done.

M: I was soooooo scared the week before. Having nightmares and constant anxiety. You on the other hand were as cool as a cucumber. Then we get to the skydiving facility and our roles change. All of a sudden I started to calm down and you started to cry.

K: Yeah, I figured, what's the point in thinking about how scared I am. I know I'm going to do it, so I figured I might as well just get on with it. Ummm, yeah..... I unraveled the minute we rolled up. My voice sounded crazy. It's so funny when I watch the footage. So sad for me. But I did it. Life changing. My mind felt like it exploded afterwards. There were literally no words to explain it.... which was nice. All feeling.

M: Jumping for me wasn’t just about hopping out of a plane. I was in a place in my life where I was tired of being scared and jumping for me represented letting go and going for it. The experience changed me.

K: Letting go. Not so easy sometimes, but skydiving is an experience that I can always refer to when I need to jump again in my life.

M: It's like when you jump....all you could be is in that moment. You aren't thinking about what errands you have to do, or if you remembered to pick up your clothes at the dry cleaners or whether you want chicken or beef for dinner. You are just there, in the air, in that moment....and it's so amazing.