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Introduction
Let’s linger on something for a moment, call it a thought experiment if you like. Think back, in time and experience, through all the years you’ve been alive, and center yourself on a moment or an event, one that’s seared into your memory, ever-present. Maybe just recollecting it is uncomfortable, that’s okay, stay with it. Perhaps you’re thinking about a physical challenge—an illness you endured or witnessed, an injury, a disability. Or maybe the struggle was more ephemeral—a conflict, the loss of a relationship, an emotional wound that lingered, a crippling insecurity. Is it in your mind now, front and center? Now, consider what living through it has taught you. What did you learn from the experience? What are you still learning? I believe that suffering and hardship, unavoidable as they are, can teach us about ourselves, the sort of people we want to be, our priorities in life. The book before you is about the idea of peering into life-altering pains and difficult moments and finding a truth, maybe one that wasn’t known to you before.
It’s also about paragliding.
When you really get to know someone, over the course of many years, their eccentricities and hang-ups will inevitably bubble to the surface. Here’s one of mine: certain idioms and phrases, identifiers and labels that are commonly used in our culture, just rub me the wrong way. Like “cancer survivor.” Yes, I’m aware that it’s on the back cover of this book. It’s shorthand, two words that capture and describe events we’re all broadly familiar with; many of us will experience the cancer part one day, although not all will survive it. For some people, this term becomes an important part of their identity, which is another theme throughout this story—what does it mean to be given an identity, one you had no choice in? And how important is it to adopt a new one?
I can tell you’re eager to hear more about the flying stuff, which—importantly—is not parasailing. Paragliding is a sport you will learn a lot about in this story. A few things you should know: I am not an expert. I’m still a relatively new pilot, someone who has spent far more time writing than flying, so please do not consider this narrative as advice on how to fly. Flying any sort of small aircraft is dangerous, so do not attempt it without proper instruction. With that said, I encourage everyone I meet to try it by taking a tandem flight with a qualified instructor. Paragliding, and the community of people around it, have become an important part of my life and I hope some of that magic shines through in the story.
Back to words and labels that I have a hard time with—inspiring, specifically when used to describe this author. There are plenty of people in the world who gladly affix this label to their real or online personas, many of them have workshops or downloadable content you can buy. I am skeptical, which in turn gives me pause about making any such claim for myself. Perhaps my grift detector is too sensitive, I’m not sure. I wish there was a better word, because inspiring feels so fraught. This is another theme you will encounter: sorting through the differences between your conception of self and how other people see you, learning from other perspectives by shifting yours.
A few other things you should know: this is a memoir, a work of non-fiction about real events that occurred in my life over the course of sixteen-plus years, and they are recalled through the lens of my experience and memory. Where possible, I have fact-checked, interviewed, researched and confirmed, ensuring the story is accurate and truthful. Some names have been changed, but most of them have not. Writing this book—like my journey with cancer and my dream of paragliding—has altered my life in beautiful ways I never would have expected and I am so thrilled you are here now, reading it.
