Through the Looking Glass: Travel As a Mirror

Tan lines, surfboards, and a splash of soul searching. A birthday celebration 13,500 above the ground, or how I dove headfirst into adulthood, one wave (and one skydive) at a time.

by Saniya Makenova

Photo by Emma Almaraz

“Beach hair, don’t care!” That’s the mindset I went with to Oak Island, North Carolina, to celebrate my second-to-last birthday as a teen. And while becoming 18 once sounded like a dream, all that anticipation washed away, one wave at a time.

As part of getting ready for the beachy getaway, my family and I dove into a deep search for local attractions. The fishing pier, Old Baldy Lighthouse, and the Battleship Museum sounded like destinations worth exploring. But to my mom’s terror, my eye was particularly caught by Skydive Coastal Carolinas.

Thrilled to try something new, I began looking forward to the new levels of adrenaline I was about to endure. With excitement came a sense of fear for the unknown, for the things that will no longer be the same or inevitable.

A couple of hours into the drive, I thought about the importance of seizing the moment. Why let my coming-of-age worries rob me of the joyful times ahead? Silencing the noise of my crippling anxiety, I began to ponder.

Since I was a kid, the beach has held a special place in my heart. It was always associated with vacations and made me smile every time it was mentioned. During this trip, though, I focused more on my present feelings than my memories. By consciously paying attention to my surroundings, I began appreciating all the experiences that make up a lifetime.

The highlight of my trip, unsurprisingly, was skydiving. Free-falling from a plane forced me to confront reality in its rawest form and let go of all my built-up distress. As my mind went quiet, the presence in the current moment drove my mental reset. 

Suddenly, I realized just how big our world truly is. The magnetizing skyline that opened up to me 13,500 feet above sea level reminded me of the tininess that my problems hold in the grand scope of life. At the end of the day, when the sun goes down, life keeps moving forward. It keeps pushing against the waves, sweeping us up into adventurous currents along the way.

On the way home, I thought about all the feelings I opened my heart up to on this trip. In the process, I reflected on the lessons it taught me and the new perspectives it introduced. Stepping into adulthood, my mindset shifted. Blowing out my 18th set of birthday candles, I promised myself, “Always live in the moment!”