Your Choice

One of the joys of living with two teenage boys is seeing what they choose to watch in their free time. A favorite for a few years has been Dude Perfect. The group is made up of five former college roommates from Texas A & M University, and according to Wikipedia, they have the most-subscribed sports channel currently on YouTube. What started in 2009 with a single camera and an "I can do better than you" trick shot has exploded into an estimated net worth of more than $50 million. 

Dude Perfect's recent video, "Bucket List," shared the group's trip to South Africa, in which each member of the group was able to check off a bucket list item. Coby decided to bungee jump from Bloukran's Bridge in George, South Africa. It is the second-highest bungee bridge in the world, measuring 708 feet. It looked intense, and I was only watching over the shoulders of my children. It was an amazing sight to see and gave me butterflies. But I was struck by something Coby said after he was finished: "It was five seconds of fear or a lifetime of regret. I chose the fear." 

Five seconds of fear or a lifetime of regret. 

I have bungee jumped once in my life. I was in high school, and we were at an amusement park in New Jersey. I don't remember how I felt getting ready to do the actual jump itself; I just remember the exhilaration of the fall and the sense of accomplishment afterward. 

Would I bungee jump today? Probably not. I've already done it, so I don't feel the need to do it again. Instead, I've got my own bucket list item: fly an airplane and earn my private pilot's license. I've loved aviation and flying since I took my first flight at the age of five. Back then, you could actually go into the cockpit during flight; I did and was inspired. While I never wanted to be a professional pilot due to the hours and time away, I've never lost my love of flight. Thanks to some encouragement from My Wife, I'm making a real commitment to this. 

There certainly are plenty of things I am afraid of as I'm learning how to fly. I'm grateful I have an instructor in the seat next to me to let me "feel" how the plane should respond. And every time I pull the yoke back to lift off the runway, I feel that same sense of exhilaration that I felt when I was five years old. 

Five seconds of fear (or sometimes more honestly) or a lifetime of regret. 

I know what I'm choosing. 

How about you? 

Photo courtesy of the film "For the Love of Flight"