Jumping Out Of A Perfectly Good Airplane

I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane today.

When one of the instructors asked me, "What brought you here today?"

I answered, "A promise."

"Oh, that's a good answer. The best."

He left it at that for a moment as we were riding out way out to the airfield. Finally, I thought I'd fill in the silence.

"A friend of mine died two years ago, today, and she knew I wanted to go, so she made me promise that I would, since she couldn't."

He took it in. His sunglasses reflecting the snowy fields of Long's Peak. "Hey, that's good. I respect that."

( And it was a beautiful St. Patrick's Day... )