Personal Narrative: My Last Pair

I was on a long road trip this summer. I was having a wonderful time listening to the amazing Will Hobbs’s "Downriver." It documents some juvenile delinquents going on a white water rafting trip down the most dangerous Colorado River. It was filled with stories of bravery and overcoming fears of extreme sports. I need a break for awhile from the voice speaking at me, I need the radio. I turned it on, and there it was: Yosemite Valley, Dean Potter, 43-year-old white man, fell to his death, trying wingsuit fly. This extremity, this danger has been going on for centuries. It could have been family. It could have been a friend. It could have been a classmate.
This death, these sports, is the main part of peoples lives. What are we going to do about it? You know that part of us that wants to jump right off the cliff with these people? That part.
So I have a call to action for you.
It’s not the hardest thing to do, but it’s also one of those things that takes courage to ditch your old and trusted gear. You know, I was in Yosemite, going for another jump, when we needed some new gear, his zipper broke on his chute pack. We see all these sports stores with the equipment. I see the new on the market brand that is tested to best quality and the same price as the old not as good brand and I move to it. My friend hesitates and follows with resistance. One need, one purpose, and one responsibility, but different viewpoints. The newer brand got us that jump and many more for my friend.
You know, biases are the stories we make up about gear before we know what they actually are. But how are we going to know what they are when we’ve seen good things and heard bad things and the only thing that we can think about is the bad things? So I’m going to tell you to walk toward your discomfort toward that new equipment, it could save your