Ep52: The View From the Edge: What Harry Parker Learned About Life Through Facing Death

Harry Parker has spent more than three decades at the edge: jumping from airplanes and cliffs, traveling the world as a photographer, and finding family in the close-knit communities of skydiving and BASE jumping.But a life spent confronting fear also brought Harry face-to-face with loss.After a devastating period in which many friends in the BASE jumping community died, Harry found himself helping create memorials for the people left behind. That work eventually led him to Project Recover, where he helped locate, document, and bring home American service members missing since World War II; an experience he describes as one of the pinnacles of his life.In this conversation with Marilyn, Harry shares what a lifetime spent close to death has taught him about actually living: moving through fear, making space for grief, choosing presence, nurturing the relationships that matter, and learning to practice happiness while we’re still here.Today, Harry continues that work through conservation and community as a leader with Surfrider Monterey and co-creator of SkyFamily, an emerging nonprofit supporting the skydiving and BASE communities through loss, remembrance, and healing. He has also trained as a death doula, an experience that deepened his relationship with mortality and gave him a new way of looking at the life still ahead of him.Because after all the jumps, risks, losses, and extraordinary adventures, Harry has come to believe that happiness isn’t simply something we find.It’s something we practice.Learn more about Harry Parker and his work:Harry Parker: https://harryparkerphotography.com/Substack: @hparkerphotoFollow Harry on Instagram: @hparkerphotoSurfrider Foundation Monterey Chapter & Blue Water Task Force: Learn more about Harry’s work with Surfrider Monterey__________Connect with Marilyn and be a part of the conversation in the I Choose Happy private Facebook group. This is your safe space to share and be inspired — join today by clicking here.__________Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com__________I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order using the code ICHOOSEHAPPY at TheComfy.com