Congratulations to all the 2012 graduates today! I want to make a couple shout outs to some good friends of mine who are graduating tonight. Megan Paulissen and Laura Ferrell. Very proud of both of you!!! I know you both will achieve great things in your future and I can't wait to hear all about it.
Today, I will be posting a short (like super duper short) story that I wrote for a travel writing contest. I didn't win it, but that's the thing about writing--if you don't win in one area you try again in another area. So, I entered this short story in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Angels Among Us." It's about an amazing, amazing experience I had in Interlaken, Switzerland, when I went paragliding.
Here it is. Enjoy!
You can also listen to me read it here (I do realize that I repeat myself at the end. Sorry about that. I am still learning how to better read my stories and essays aloud.):
http://soundcloud.com/theyancenator/someone-is-always-watching
"Golden Eagle Pin"
Have you ever had an experience that literally gave you chills? I certainly have. While living in Italy for three months, my mom suggested that I go to Interlaken, Switzerland for a couple days to visit her friends and so I did and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.Hell-bent on making my trip an exciting one, my host family arranged a paragliding session for me. My mom banned skydiving as a form of entertainment while I was overseas, but said nothing about paragliding, which involved jumping off a mountain rather than leaping out of an airplane.
Since I went during November, an idle time of the year, there was only one other person paragliding with me. Her name was Dianne and lived Seattle, Washington, an interesting coincidence since I resided in Salem, Oregon, only a few hours away. This was her 60th birthday present to herself, such a fantastic gift! As we drove up the enormous Swiss mountain, Dianne revealed to me that she had two daughters and that her husband passed away recently. When I complimented her on her golden eagle pin, securely fastened to her cotton zip-up vest, she told me it was in representation of her husband, since she saw one on the day of his funeral. So, whenever I see an eagle, she explained, it’s him watching over me.
By the time we reached the top of the mountain and geared up to go, my heart hammered hard against my ribcage, going BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. Dianne and her instructor took off before me, sailing through the air so easily it made me even more excited. With our parachute ready to go, Peachy, my instructor, told me to just run down the slope and so I did. I sprinted down the hill and the wind lifted us into the air and suddenly we were flying. Cool air bit at my cheeks and the tips of my ears. I felt weightless as we sailed above colossal pine trees and several Swiss villages. Peachy pointed at something flying below us and what do you know? It was an eagle. I realized then that someone is always watching over for you.
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