In our lives it comes time when we realize that we could do more.
But what happens if this realization hit a little late? What if you were given the last chance to correct things, go after the dreams you have postponed for years?
For a group of women, this moment arrived at the funeral – a place where life and death seemed unexpectedly colliding.
But little knew, it would be a turning point on the way that would change everything. They lived in the shadow of their own regret, but now they had a choice: stay jamming or jump.
There is a point in life when we realize that we could have done more, and sometimes these feelings push us to take bold steps that we never imagined.
For a group of women, the moment at the funeral caused them to confront the reality, that life is fleeting. They never expected to find themselves in such a situation, but suddenly they were forced to face it.
These women just did not recognize the need for change – they acted. Continue reading and find out how far they would go.
The funeral was quiet, with just a handful of people who whisper each other quietly.
I stood up and clutched my husband’s old hat, the only thing I left from him. Murmurs of Sympathy barely registered.
“Come in,” someone whispered, but I stayed immobile.
My thoughts were constantly returning to plans that we never met – our trip to the ocean, dreams we postponed for “later”. But “later” never came.
“Is that … Noro?”
My voice grabbed when I noticed the familiar characters on the edge of the group. She looked sure and kept her purse like a shield.
Another familiar face appeared before I could fold.
“Lorna?” I whispered, almost laughed at mistrust.
She stood with confidence, her bright scarf and glasses gave a tear of life against a grim crowd. It seemed to me to see the spirit of my past, even though her eyes carried the weight of time.
Soon we were pressing into a small café.
“She feels unreal,” Nora admitted, stirring her tea. “How long has it been since we were all together?”
“Too long,” Lorna replied. “And it is unfair that we are here.”
I nodded. “I’ve spent the last few years taking care of him. Everything else has stopped.”
“What now?” Nora asked gently.
“His last wish was to see the ocean again. I couldn’t happen to me when he was here, but now I’ll do it.”
“I don’t even know what my own wishes are,” Nora admitted.
“My family … I don’t think they have ever seen me as more than as a housekeeper. Last year I changed the recipe for Thanksgiving and caused it scandal. Turkey scandal.”
Lorna laughed, although her smile disappeared quickly. “At least you are surrounded by people. I have been alone for so long, I think I forgot what joy is.” Suddenly I smeared, “What if we went on a trip together? Everyone. What is the worst thing that could happen?”
Nora blinked. “Trip?
Lorna grinned. “I like it. It’s crazy but I like it.”
We laughed and realized that we were going to let go of a wild adventure.
A few days later, the airport was alive with the sounds of wavy suitcases, distant announcements and families that embarked on their own trips. I held the boarding ticket and felt an increase in excitement.
Meanwhile, my suitcase contained items that I just chose because I liked it.
Nora stood nearby, searching for her bag.
“My passport was here a second!” She cried out and her voice rose.
“It’s in your hand, Noro,” Lorna stressed with a grin. Nora rinsed and lifted the passport as if it had magically appeared. “Oh, well, I just checked myself.”
Lorna easily adjusted the scarf, even though I noticed that her fingers were trembling.
“Relax,” I said, gently throwing her.
“You’re a picture of trust.”
“False until you do it,” she whispered back, and her smile spread.
As soon as we landed, the real path began. We rented a glossy convertible on which Nora insisted.
“If we do, we do it in style,” she said, throwing her bags in the trunk.
The open road greeted us with the salty scent of the ocean, and it seemed that the horizon attracted us and dared to dream more.
Of course, things were not as smooth as planned.
“My luggage is gone,” Lorna said later in a motel in the evening.
“Gone? How’s that happening?” Nora asked, and her voice rose again.
“I have no idea, maybe I left it to the luggage. But it’s not worth emphasizing. I’m just buying something new.”
The believer returned to her word an hour later wearing a scattered dress that seemed to be made for her.
“The problem was solved,” she said, turning in the motel parking lot.
That night was the city alive with music and lights. Banner hung above the square: Annual Dance-Off tonight!
Young couples danced cheerfully around the square.
Lorn’s eyes lit up.
“I’m joining,” she said.
“Without a partner?” I asked, skeptical.
“Details,” she waved.
It wasn’t long before a man with silver hair and a kind smile approached her.
“Are you dancing?” He asked and handed her one rose.
The music began, and although their steps were not perfect, Lorna radiated joy. When the announcer announced the winner, his laughter filled the square. She picked up a small trophy, as if it were an Olympic medal.
“Rogere, my dance partner, asked me,” she said later, and her faces were red. The night felt almost magical until she moved dizziness. I grabbed the edge of the table for support.
“Martho, are you fine?” Nora’s voice cut her haze.
I woke up in the hospital room. The doctor modified the glasses and looked at me.
“Dear, your body has gone through a lot – emotional stress, physical tension. All this adds. You need rest and no more travel.”
I nodded.
“I will scatter the ashes tomorrow morning,” I told my friends. “Then I head home.”
Back in the motel, the atmosphere was tense. Lorna poured tea while Nora sat firmly and tapped her knee.
“You don’t have to shorten the trip, Martha,” Lorna said, breaking silence. “Stay for a few more days. Stand, we’ll take it easily. You deserve it.”
Nora frowned. “We did enough. Martha fulfilled her husband’s wishes, you met Roger, but what did I do? What did I do that it is bold or changing on this way? Nothing.”
“It’s not fair,” Lorna said.
“We all went through a lot. Maybe instead of blaming us, you should ask why you’re holding on.”
Nor’s face blushed. “Stop? Do you know what it is like to always be the one that everyone depends on?
“And do you know what it is like to be all alone?” Lorna fired back.
“No one relies on her, no one is waiting for you at home. It’s easy to criticize when you are surrounded by a family – even if they are ungrateful.”
“Middle? My family takes me every day for granted!” Nora’s voice raised. She hit her hand on the table and made cups of rattles.
“Enough!” I said.
The room was silent. Lorna suddenly stood up.
“That’s unnecessary,” she murmured. “I’m going to sleep.”
Nora followed and slammed the door behind her.
That night we retreated to our separate corners. The cracks in our friendship felt deeper than ever. For the first time I wondered if this journey was a mistake.
The next morning, Lorná and I sat down for breakfast in a small dining room. The smell of coffee mixed with the salty scent of the ocean breeze. I poured a cup, enjoyed warmth and looked at the wall for hours.
“Where is Nora?” I asked and slipped the cream into my cup. “Usually the first down.”
Lorna shrugged and butter on toast.
“Maybe he’s asleep. She wasn’t completely calm yesterday.”
We ate in silence for a moment, but soon crawled in. Lorna’s eyes rushed to the window.
“Oh no! The convertible is gone! We should check on it,” she said, and her voice worried.
I nodded and laid coffee. We rushed at the reception.
“Sorry,” Lorna said. “Do you know where our girlfriend Nora went? She stayed in room 12.”
A young woman behind the table looked up from her computer.
“Oh, yes, she checked out this morning. She mentioned paragliding. There’s a nearby website that is quite popular. She took one of our brochures.”
“Paragliding?” I repeated. “Alone?”
Lorna exchanged a look with me and her lips pushed into a thin line. “I’ll call Roger. We need a ride.”
Roger arrived in twenty minutes and his car kicked a cloud of dust as it was drawn into the land.
“In the morning, ladies,” he greeted us with a smile, even though his expression became serious when he saw our faces.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nora decided to go paragliding,” Lorna explained. “We have to stop her before doing something ruthless.”
The drive was tense. I got rid of my hands and muttered under my breath.
“Paragliding? What do you think? It’s not adrenaline.”
“Maybe it’s her way to free himself,” Roger said, watching his eyes on the road.
When we arrived, we immediately saw her. Nora stood on the edge of the starting platform, the clear straps of her harness stood against the sky. The wind and she looked calm, but definitely.
“Noro!” I called and rushed to her.
“What are you doing?”
She turned slowly and a little smile on her lips. “Something for me,” she said simply.
“But that’s dangerous!” I protested. “You’ve never done anything like that.”
“Exactly. I’ve spent my life playing all my life. I need it.”
Lorna stepped forward. “If you do it, we are.”
Nora lifted her eyebrows. “Really?”
I stared at Lorna, horrified. “You can’t mean it seriously.”
Lorna grinned. “If we are going to risk, let’s do it together.”
Before I knew it, we were all tied to harnesses. My heart pounded when the instructors led us to the edge of the platform. The ocean stretched in front of us, huge and endless.
The experience was exciting. As we climbed above the cliffs, the wind was screaming around my ears, the ocean below us. Within minutes, all my concerns disappeared, replaced by clean, unfiltered joy.
When we landed, our legs were fluctuating and our laughter was uncontrollable.
Nor’s eyes sparkled with newly discovered confidence.
“I never felt anything like that,” she said without breath
In the end, everything we didn’t know we needed. It was more than just an ocean breeze, laughter or adrenaline. It was about how to face the things we postponed, parts of ourselves that we buried for years of responsibility and routine.
For each of us this journey meant the beginning of something new. We no longer waited for “later” or let us fear.
Life with all unpredictability was too short to live on an autopilot. It is time to risk, watching things that our souls lit, and accepting moments of joy, however fleeting.
When we went home, each of us carried a piece of magic a trip with us, we knew that our journeys had moved. We were no longer bound by the past, but instead we made futures that were really our own. And that was enough.
The world can be full of uncertainty, but we learned that the most important thing was not to wait for a life permit. It was supposed to start living right away.