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1. Gas stations contain lots of flammable material that will in fact catch fire and burn.
2. It is possible to get severely burned yourself.
3. In a small town, news travels fast, especially when there is a town siren.
4. It takes time for the volunteer fire department to reach the fire, but first they drive past the fire to pick up their trucks to put the fire out.
5. The pumps will stop working until they are reset, adding to the embarrassment as people you know try to fill up.
6. The emergency shut-off switch is never in the spot you think it is when you need to find it the most, or it’s behind the ice freezer.
7. Having to admit you thought it was a great idea to flick a lighter you found on the ground earlier that day while pumping gas.
8. Considering running away from the fire in order not to get blown up while innocent bystanders look on.
9. Washing the car for the second time that day in order to clean off fire retardant from the extinguisher.
10. Telling your grandparents coming to town that you almost blew up the car they gave your mom.

In fact, all of the above is true and happened just like that. I was about 14 and made a bad choice at the wrong time. Fortunately for me, the car was spared and had just a little burnt rubber around the gas cap. The gas station was also spared and never did blow up. I did start to run and got about 3 steps away before I decided to find the shut-off switch, which I never did find. I eventually ran inside and yelled at the attendant to shut off the pumps. At that time, someone who saw what was going on put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. The moral of the story is to listen to the warning signs at the gas station so the same doesn’t happen to you. My poor mom and the things she had to deal with. Now it is a look into my past and a funny story to tell. Not many people I know can say they caught a gas station on fire and lived to tell about it.

Note: I did not get burned at all, and the picture shown is not the gas station I caught on fire.

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Last year I spent a lot of time working on a business plan involving ebooks. I can’t say that the plan is completely shelved, but it is definitely on hold. Inspired by Timothy Ferriss’s book The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich to contact a famous person, I did. Around Christmas time I wrote Warren Buffett a simple letter. I also included a stamped postcard with my address on it.

Dear Mr. Buffett,

My name is Josh Whitford, and I live in Fargo, ND. I am looking for a bit of advice. There are few things I know better than the fact that I truly do not know much. I do not seek knowledge but rather wisdom. I admire the foresight you have that has led to your success as a person. I would like to know what single piece of wisdom you would offer to someone you have never met.

Sincerely,

Josh Whitford

seasons greetings

A couple weeks later I received my postcard in the mail. The response was “Read, read, read” and nothing more. I do enjoy reading compared to the majority of Americans who only read 1 book a year. I guess you could say that I read 1200% more than the average American. If you haven’t read lately, feel free to pick up a book, cozy up on your recliner, crack the spine (of the book that is) and enjoy.

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It has always been a dream of mine to skydive and a couple years ago I had my first chance. Kiko (the friend), Trent (the cousin) and I decided to skydive over the 4th of July weekend. Instead of going in town we figured we would save money and drive north to Canada. At the time the dollar was still worth something and this actually made since. We made arrangements with the local drop zone to do a tandem jump each. Then we packed the car and headed for the border.

3 hours later. We pulled into the airport outside of Winnipeg, Canada. The employees of the drop zone decided it was a good time to tell us the clouds were too low and we couldn’t jump until they cleared. After it was obvious they were not going to clear, we made for the nearest watering hole before heading back to the USA.

Day 2. This time the drop zones had the foresight and courtesy to tell us not to go because of the cloud cover again.

Day 3. They called us again and informed us they believed we should be able to jump in the afternoon. Still cloudy but a high chance we would actually be able to do it. We kicked the idea around for a few minutes and said what the hell. Now, my cousin lives about an hour north of me on the way to Canada. He had been studying and catching up on the lost homework time. We asked if he would like to go, which he sheepishly declined. Just before we passed his placed we called again and got the same response. About 5 minutes later, the phone rang, we make an illegal u-turn on the highway, and Trent was in the car as we drove northward again.

We arrived to a heavy cloud cover again but with a lot of hope of finally being able to jump. The drop zone was fully confident and started to prepare their equipment. Then they proceeded to pull out a needle and thread in order to sew some loose ends on the parachute rig. Not what I would call comforting. On the video tape we are heard making jokes about it. I was selected to go first.

The ride up in a tiny plane with no leg room and knowing that they just sewed up the parachute which my life depended upon was not the most nerve-racking part. For me, the most unnerving part was when the door to the plane actually opened (heart stopped for a second). Then I got hooked to the tandem person I jumped with and inched our way to the door. I made my way towards the door when this man in his young seventies lunged out of the plane like he was superman. After seeing that, I was a lot less worried. Jump. The initial rush is so exhilarating that it is hard to express. I knew from that moment on skydiving was something I wanted to make a part of my life.

I actually jumped while there were still clouds and got to flyfall through them on the way down. Then there would be a clearing and I could see all around, then we would go through some more clouds. Finally, about 1500 feet before we had to pull the parachute, the clouds were gone and I could see the vast earth quickly approaching me. Needless to say, the parachute worked fine and we had a great time. Trent could be heard yelling the whole way down when he jumped. When Kiko finally jumped, the clouds were completely gone and we were able to film his whole jump from the ground.

If you haven’t participated in the art of falling to earth, I would highly recommend it. I have since jumped one more time about 2 years ago and look forward to doing it again. What are your thoughts on skydiving? Have you ever skydived or plan on skydiving? Let me know.

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