“Do one thing every day that scares you”. We’re so proud of our assistant general manager Nicola, who, in October did a wing walk for charity. Here she tells her inspiring story...
Earlier in the year, one evening I was scrolling through social media when I saw a friend's post… sign up for one of the ultimate adrenaline rushes – wing walk for charity. At that moment, the lyrics of Baz Lurhman’s sunscreen song came to mind, “Do one thing every day that scares you”, before I knew it, I had clicked the link, paid my deposit and signed up to be strapped on to the outside of a bi-plane.
Fast forward to early October and I’m standing in an airfield in Devon on a Sunday lunchtime, dressed in a flight jumpsuit and sequin jacket waiting my turn to be taken through the air at 80-100mph. The thought of “Why” went through my head!
Why do we sometimes crave the adrenaline rush of certain situations? There are of course many reasons, however, for me, it was the confirmation that I can face things that scare me and survive, that I can sit with those emotions and overcome them, and that I could prove the saying “this too shall pass”.
Of course, there is the payoff, of being brave and stepping outside of the comfort zone, the endorphin and dopamine rush of coming out the other side of the fear was quite amazing! This is not to say there weren’t seconds of when my stomach flipped, and part of my brain was telling me – this is not the right side of the plane to be on! It was a great opportunity to practice breathwork and mindfulness, to really drop into the moment and live every second of those 10 minutes.
The views were quite something, the Devon countryside is beautiful, the whole experience at times, simply and literally, took my breath away. I landed exhilarated, in awe of what our minds and bodies can achieve when facing fear and the beauty of the world we live in.