Nico

My granddad always used to cross himself when he flew. I do not think it was because he was scared. I think it was a little mark of respect. An acknowledgement that he was not fully in control. That something bigger was at work. I always remembered that. Now, whenever I jump, I do the same thing. A small sign of the cross. Quick. Quiet. Nobody else sees it. It is not a performance. It is not for the cameras. It is just between me and God. A moment that says: I am about to do something that terrifies me, and I am choosing to trust that I am not alone in it. I have done it hundreds of times now. Before jumps. Before expeditions. Before moments where everything could go wrong. It has never made the fear go away. But it has always made me feel less alone in it. What is your small ritual before the moments that scare you most?