Dealing with a loss

[Spatula 0]

If you've read the incidents there was a fatality @ Skydive Suffolk recently. I'm not trying to debate what he did wrong, why he flying canopy "x"...but what I'm curious is how have you that have lost a friend in this sport dealt with it? Did you learn anything from the incident? I'm just curious. I met Goose here on DZ.com and chatted with him a few times via email @ at the DZ. He was a great guy. I'm just kinda in shock, as this comes at a time when I'm contemplating my involvement in the sport. Mainly because of financial reasons at the moment. Life insurance is just so expensive and being married I couldn't jump with clear mind not having insurance knowing my wife wouldn't be left with a mortgage and bills.....so anyways....

[PLFXpert 0]

Hi John,

I've lost one skydiver acquaintence and it wasn't skydiving-related, but I definitely sympathize with you.

The way I look at it, if it's not skydiving, it could just as easily be something else. A lot of skydivers have known someone in the sport who has passed and just as many, if not more, know someone who has passed from a car accident, or something else. I don't think you can let the possibility of death, accident or injury ever deter you from living your life as you wish to live. There is always a chance of something terrible happening, but I try to focus on the chance that something wonderful will happen instead.

Having said that, I know it can be very hard, and I have lost two people in the past three months. I had never been to a funeral before and now I've been to two. It is still very difficult for me to deal with so I wrote a few reminders of happy things on a small piece of paper, my hunny wrote a small note to me as well on it. I keep this piece of paper in my pocket or in my purse all the time and whenever I revert back to feeling sad or even angry, I pull it out, take a deep breath and concentrate instead on those things. It works for me, maybe it will for you

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.