Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

The easier I want things to be, the harder they seem to be. Also, I am realizing that if i decide to put something off, it just makes it that much harder to complete. Do you ever feel like everything in your life is pulling you in a different direction?
There are a lot of people in my life that I have a deep respect for. This respect usually comes from seeing them do things that have made them successful. I feel like a large part of "growing up" is deciding what you will do to make yourself successful while at the same time making sure that you are happy. When a young person dies, it is common to hear that they "lived their life to the fullest every day". Perhaps this was true; or perhaps it is just how their loved ones want to remember the life of the person who will no longer be able to achieve.
Sometimes I wonder, if I walk out into the street and get hit by a car tomorrow, will my family be able to say that I always lived my life to the fullest? If they do, will it be a lie? I think that your life has to be a balance at all times between working hard to make yourself a better person, and also stopping to enjoy each moment of your life for what it is. The journey has always been more important to me than the destination, and that has meant that I have been afforded some great experiences thus far in my life, and it has also gotten me into trouble. School work has deadlines, and if you don't meet them, there are consequences. I can live with that.
When I am swept out to sea in a freakishly strong rip current while snorkeling in the virgin islands, I am sure that I will not be worrying that I got a 62 on my last history test. I will however want to be able to think to myself that I took full advantage of every opportunity afforded to me, whether it was taking an amazing vacation with friends, or the ability to get a college degree. When it is my time to go, I want to be able to be at peace with everything that I have done, and think that people will know that I had a good ride. What do you think will be most important to you when your moments are running out?

Meeting Expectations

"Do you hear the rain? Do you hear the rain?"- Jessica Dubroff 

Jessica was a 7 year old girl who was attempting a record setting flight to be the youngest person to pilot a plane from coast to coast. Unfortunately, her dream was cut short due to the poor decision of her flight instructor, and an overwhelming need to stay on schedule. Jessica, her flight instructor, and father were all killed shortly after takeoff into a thunderstorm. The quote I began with are her last words. She was speaking to her mother on the phone before take off. 

I bring up the story of Jessica because I think she is the ideal of a young life, a dream, a deep passion cut short. I wonder if at any point this dream became less of Jessica's and more a dream of fame and fortune from those who surrounded her. My point is, if we have something that is important to us, we have to make sure that we keep it close. When we let others intrude on our dreams, they can often find way's to capitalize off of them; especially if the dream is outrageous. 

I work for an airline, and next week I am traveling to Atlanta to attend the Women in Aviation conference and encourage people there to come work for my company. I am sure we will hear stories from people like Jessica, who have a dream of flying for a living. It is always refreshing attending conferences like this to see people who are truly passionate; but I do sometimes wonder, are they doing this because they want to, or are they meeting an expectation. Hopefully they are doing it for the right reason. 

Fletcher

In the Beginning...

I think I should use my first Blog to explain why I chose the title. First I should say that it is not something that I came up with. Actually, it is a quote from Georges Chavez. He was one of the first aviators to take flight in a powered aircraft in the world. Also, the quote was not actually spoken in english. The real quote is "Arriba, siempre arriba". These were the last words heard  spoken by Chavez before he crashed during a record setting flight through the Alps in 1910. The quote later became the motto of the Peruvian Air Force. I consider this quote important because it symbolizes the general sentiment of aviation; always looking for something more. 

I also think that the quote says a lot about life in general. Why would one settle for something mediocre, when we have the ability to reach for more. We are all afforded a great amount of opportunity simply by being in this course, by being in this college, by taking charge of our lives. By bettering ourselves through knowledge we are bettering ourselves in life, and we are promoting future opportunities. 

My idea for this blog is to track successes and failures, triumphs and attempts at what is going on in my life in the moment. Everyone deserves a passion, something they can aim for, and something that keeps them going in the often mundane day to day life that we live. I hope that by chronicling some what goes on in my life, I can look back and realize how things have changed over time for me. I hope that anyone tasked with reading this is not bored to tears, but I hope to be able to put some interesting topics down in the future.

Till Next Time

Fletcher