A bungee jump to limitlessness

Last night, I remembered the time I did the reverse bungee in Singapore. I was sitting in this open capsule, all strapped up to be shot to 700 meters up in the air. I looked at the crowed gathered around and many of them cheered me while the count down began. I asked myself why they would cheer me. It’s not like I am helping humanity or giving them a free beer. Then I realized for many it’s something they wish, but never do. They are applauding me for facing the fear, the one they too poses. They can empathise the fight within and cheering me for victory over it.

At the last minute, I heard my heart beating faster and saw a blurred image (partly owing to the fancy smoke beneath the capsule). Then I told myself “I let go”, for there is nothing I can control about it. Within seconds I was in the air, fear reached its maximum threshold and adrenaline rush took over. While the excitement can be explained in many ways, I believe it was because of the internal shift. I crossed the boundary of fear into freedom. And it’s no different than the one I felt after sending my resignation mail.

I woke up today home alone (my family has gone out for a relative wedding) .While I was fumbling to keep the day’s milk cartons into fridge, I accidently tossed a vessel that had yesterday’s milk. My plan was to feed Julie with that, and for a second I stood there starring at the pool of spilled liquid.

An idea sparked and I called for Julie. He stood at the door while I pleaded him to come inside the living room. He advanced few steps, went back, moaned but never came inside (I guess he must have learnt his lessons not to enter the house). It took me for a while (actually a biscuit) to lead him to the scene and then he happily licked his drink. If my parents were home, I would be wiping the floor with a long face (not because of scolding but because I wont be offered coffee for the day).

In a way we are no different than Julie. We were imposed of certain limits while we were young and we believe it all through our lives. Words like “You can never do that, you are too old, too young, you are girl/boy or you lack the talent, skill, money” and negative thoughts of our own stick to us like a cluttered chain around our legs. Let’s break the chain, cross the border and who knows our favorite thing might be lying on the floor, just for us.
Srivats

Comments

what a way to draw a parallel.. u know what Sri, I wish you always push your boundaries and realise the dreams that lie beyond..
RamNarayanS said…
Good one Srivats! That is a great inspirational post. We are conditioned, to do or not to do certain things. Breaking the shackles is liberation and usually you are always against the tide.

On a lighter note, no coffee for you once your family returns as your have now induced Julie to break his conditioning. :-)
Annam said…
நீங்க ரொம்ப திங் பண்ணுரீங்க பாஸ்:)
Annam said…
milk cartons into fridge, I accidently tossed a vessel that had yesterday’s milk
//////////////////////
ஆகா நா ரெமி தான் முழிச்சிட்டாரோனு ரொம்ப பயந்துடேன்:)thank god
Annam said…
An idea sparked
//////////////////
கொஞ்ச நாளாவே மண்டையில ஸ்ப்பார்க்கிள்ஸ் ஒவரா தான் இருக்கு.....ந்ல்லா இருந்தா ஷரி தான்
Swaram said…
Oh u r so rt ... the deep-root conditioning hs to go :)

Luv the way u use simple things to explain profound ones and make us feel ... well, nt so difficult after all :)

Thanks Sri!
Yeah i agree with you :)

I never did bungee jumping and are you kidding? no i am not going for it..
It scares the hell out of me. The moment i close my eyes, visions fill my head to the threshold limits..

About the boundaries created by elders on us, its kind of obvious and its not because they fear you may do something not expected but its just that they don't want you to be disappointed later and all.

I think there is more to it to think about but i am leaving it there bcuz it may lead to over doing of my job at thinking. :)

Cheers
Mahesh
Chan said…
Awesome comparison!!

Hopefully Julie wont come into the kitchen when parents are home....

// I accidently tossed a vessel that had yesterday’s milk//
idha dhan yenga veetla "Thadi ambala velai nu solluvaa" :-P
Annam said…
Let’s break the chain, cross the border and who knows our favorite thing might be lying on the floor, just for us.
/////////////////
நாயுக்கு கட்டி போட்ட செயின் தான பிரேக் பண்ணனும்....... நீங்க சொல்லி செய்யாமலயா!!!!!!!!பாஸ்:)
Annam said…
Then I told myself “I let go”, for there is nothing I can control about
//////////////////////
உங்கள பத்தி நிறைய ஆராய்ச்சில இரங்கிட்டீங்கனு தெரியுது...:)எந்த மரம் ஞானம் கொடுத்துச்சு:) எனக்கும் சொல்லுங்க பாஸ் நாங்களும் டிபரன்ட்டா யோசிச்சு போஸ்ட் போடுவோம்ல............
Annam said…
but really vatsu apart from kummies..............ur thinking is so large and extra ordinary vaazhthukkal
Annam said…
am chutting ur titles(less is good,Change is permanent,Losing is good..etc..)
so dat my small sis wud choose to write an article for her school magazine
Annam said…
keep on writing boss:)so dat we vil be able to break up rules and achieve high by ur words
Annam said…
appalikka vanthu kummuren:)
deep said…
must say a good lesson ..explained with very lively examples.. :)
Aarti said…
Awww,adorable! :) and had a good laugh @ Julie the boy dogggy!! he would have had a treat!! and u saved some mopping...

Wow, u did bungee- awesome!! thats one thing i wanna do!! looks like being on Bench is doing wonders to ur brain...:)

If u were come home n talk to my family abt borders n etc, they would stare at u like u were speaking some alien lingo, cos i have not stopped myself ever cos of the so called boundaries.. hop skip jump break em down... [heck, as they say rules are meant to be broken,right??]
A reverse bungee ? Oh god! I'll go mad!Slowly I'm becoming your great fan of those last touchy lines!keep going!
Photo Cache said…
it takes a lot of courage to go over the fence, but if that's what it takes to change the course of your life, go ahead.

the hardest part here of course is summoning the courage to take the leap.
FunScribbler said…
reverse bungee in clarke quay??? that was 45 bucks dude!!!

(and y word verification suddenly?)
Ramesh said…
Hey this is a nice correlation - one of your lovely posts where you draw a parallel between seemingly unconnected things.

I am amazed that you did that at Clark's quay. Its positively scary. But then I should have expected no less from the strapping young Sri !
kanagu said…
In every post you are presenting a thathuvam... :) :) very nice..

we are always living with pre-conceived notions... don't we..??

always following rules framed by somebody... believing in something we have not even experienced... funny world
What a fantastic inspirational post !
Vidya said…
Every body seems to be writing a post about conformance and limitations! :D
I think that there are good limits and bad limits. Good limits are the limits that we have for our own selves about the kind of people we surround our self with. I think that is a good limit to have.

I love how you drew a parallel between the spoiled milk and limitations. Neat! When I read about your dog, I was nostalgic about when I can have one of my own!
Vidya said…
By the way, I am very scared of heights. I have been on a roller coaster only once to realize that I can never enjoy it! :D So I had to hurriedly read through the section about the reverse bungee jumping! But kudos to you!
Anuraag said…
a paradigm shift... :)
jehan said…
"Let Freedom ring, let the white dove sing/
Let the whole world know that today is a
Day of reckoning/
Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong/
Roll the stone away, Let the guilty pay, It's Independence Day"
--lyrics from Martina McBride's Independence Day..

i remember this sometimes when i get to accomplish things i feared i couldn't do and didn't imagine doing.. a thought strikes me that i'm strong afterall or that there are times we have to do the exact opposite of what we are told not to do to to at least get the results we've been wanting. haha...i still remember when my father told us not to laugh out so loud (girls have to be prim and proper) or not to answer back when being scolded.. but boy, my chest and heart felt better when i disobeyed him once and told him his children might have heart attacks if they don't stand up for themselves, even once...
Unknown said…
I have few alternative career openings for u before u get into mainstream advertising, Sri. Release a book '100001 interesting titles for your blog posts' by Srivats :) Do u take classes for the same? :)

That was a very interesting parallel drawn b/w 2 seemingly unrelated things. Nice piece of work!

P.S. I would never bungee jump ever in my life.
P.P.S. Tagged u on my blog. Better do it up, else I wont buy ur book when it gets released! :)
Smita said…
The parallel you drew towards the end blew me over!!!

Seriously sometimes we are bound by old boundaries which are not wrong to cross over now!! We are just scared to do something different!!!

P.S. Why does it happen that ur posts always brings out the Philosopher in me??
Anonymous said…
awesome post. I am becoming a big fan of u. Hats off to u sir. Ur thinking is beyond everyone's'.
CYNOSURE said…
hmmm....that's the nice post to give inspiration to someone who's stuck in the situation of whether to do something or not......
bittersweet said…
I'm starting to get curious with this dog... ^^;
sri said…
@AJCL
Thanks :) such words helps

@Rammm
Never told them abt that and never will :)

@Annam
Remy would come soon,beware hehe :)

@Swaram
Life is simple isnt ?

@MaheshSindbandge
U are right about the boundaries by elders they just dont want us to get hurt, but strangly thats the exact thing happens with such boundaries, it leaves us all shattered to a corner.

@Chan
Tadi ambala velai dhaan LOL, I hope Julie never remember that incident.

@Annam
"நாயுக்கு கட்டி போட்ட செயின் தான பிரேக் பண்ணனும்....... நீங்க சொல்லி செய்யாமலயா!!!!!!!!பாஸ்:)
"

Pakkathu veetla adi vangama erundha sari

"எந்த மரம் ஞானம் கொடுத்துச்சு:) எனக்கும் சொல்லுங்க பாஸ் நாங்களும் டிபரன்ட்டா யோசிச்சு போஸ்ட் போடுவோம்ல............"

Thenga mandaya manga mandyannu neenga solradhukka ?

"so dat my small sis wud choose to write an article for her school magazine"

Epdi vera erukko, room pottu yosipangalo!

@Deep
Thanks :)

@Aaarti
".. hop skip jump break em down... [heck, as they say rules are meant to be broken,right??]
"
Thats so you!! :) yeh here is to the boundryless lady hehe :) oh that sounds bad, lets keep it as limitless lady ! No regrets! :)

@Aruna
Thanks :) I am humbled

@Photocache
Yes very well said! My post explained in two lines :P

@Tamil Mango
Amaanga adhey dhaan, word verification to stop some nuisance that was going on for quite sometime in comment section.

@Ramesh
Strapping young sri - haha ok now I am flattered :) thanks ramesh

@Kanagu
As funny as it is :) Thanks buddy

@Ruch
Thanks! :)

@Vidya
I agree with u on the good limits, I was thinking abt it lately, its the fine line between whats crazy to whats normal hehe :) Get a dog, whats stopping u ? and u are scared to read abt bungee jumping as well hehe

@Vishal
Yes , Thanks buddy!

@Jehan
Oh the rules for girls are there in India too, I was surprised that u guys have it in your country. Good that you broke them, its what I am talking about and what a lovely poem to remember by. Thanks a lot for your words , truely an inspiration!
sri said…
@ Anu
LOL interesting titles book by me? thats funny. If you happen to see the Indian authors section of a book store, u would be amazed by the creativity they show in the title. Its all about the right title so they would pick your work, it got to be like a teaser :)
I am flattered though :)
Will check out the tag :)

@ Smita
I am glad I am digging out the philospher in u :P thanks :)

@ Vipul
Humbled by ur words , Thanks :)

@Cynosure
Welcome my buddy, Thanks for your words

@Emma
:) U would have to tehre is more to come on julie :)

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