Saturday, June 14, 2008

Conflicted

The day after my interview I get e-mail from a woman looking for a ferry pilot, with a link to a picture and specs on a cute, tiny, airplane. I'm not even sure it counts as an airplane under Canadian law. It cruises at 85 mph. I can't even rotate that slowly. Throw in normal winds and it's like driving across the country. It makes me giggle. I'm loving it.

Her need matches my schedule. I am all over this. It occurs to me after I send the e-mail that I am more excited about her trip than I am about the possibility of Bilby hiring me. There's something wrong with that. Perhaps this jet job isn't the right one for me. Or maybe there's a difference between being a grown up and doing a job and taking a few days to fly a cute fun little airplane. Is it time to grow up?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Given the choice between childlike playfulness and grown-up stodginess, I pick play every time I can.

Given the choice between a job I like a lot that lets me enjoy my work and a job I like less that lets me accumulate more things, I think I would pick joy over material.

Go for what you really want. Don't let yourself be led by others' expectations or by the worry that you might be taking the easy path. If the easy path is also the happy path, it's probably the right path too.

Then again, I've never had to make the hard choices, so my advice is not likely to be very sound.

Anonymous said...

I think it is important to keep in mind that flying is a career, but can also be fun. If your career is being a jet-pilot, working a 10 on 10 off schedule, then you will learn to fill up your days off with fun things.

If those fun things are flying cute little airplanes across the continent, then I think you'll be able to maintain a high level of personal satisfaction.

Anonymous said...

You're already grown up.

Just have fun when the opportunity presents itself.

Anyway, what does grown up mean? I always say I'm 17. :D

Anonymous said...

As long as it's not Rotax powered, go for it!! :)

Enjoy the flight, and take lots of pictures along the way. For many of us, that is a once in a lifetime experience. As the gas prices continue climbing, how many more chances like this will come around?

Don't forget the leather hat, and goggles! Perhaps a woodstock "co-pilot" on the glare shield?

Anonymous said...

We had a guy who worked at the same place I did a while ago that had a button which read: "If you make it to 50 without growing up, you don't have to."

Seriously, you have demonstrated that you are responsible (the key to be grown-up to most). If you can do that and have fun, go for it.

[Glad to be back]