A respondent in the Comments section of this blog said some very nice things to me...about being an inspiration for a career he wanted but never pursued because of...well, life. Kind of funny, that. Now, I'm not saying that the commenter wants to be me. But let's face it, we all sometimes wonder about paths not taken.
Life is all about choices, eh? We do what we think we have to
do to be "happy." Unfortunately, sometimes the immature need
for fun overpowers and replaces the need for happiness. We who are guilty of such things think that the former is a good substitute for the latter. Or
that the former will bring the latter.
But what is true happiness? I'm not married...I have no kids, no roots, no permanent place of residence. Some would say, "You're living the dream, baby!" Maybe. Sometimes there's a fine line between a dream and a nightmare, to torture that metaphor even further. I've said it before: Being a professional pilot is like being paid to masturbate - ultimately fun but of no real redeeming social value.
You can't look too deeply into this shit. You can "What if...?" anything to death. Some questions just can never be answered. I don't regret being this lifelong arrested-development gypsy, vagabond pilot, but I sure ain't leaving much of a legacy behind. In fact, in all likelihood I won't be leaving anything behind. And that kind of bothers me some.
So my advice to everyone comes from musician Warren Zevon: "Enjoy every sandwich." Find the beauty and joy in the simplest of things, for those are what life is all about. Fortunately, I'm not dying like Zevon was when he said the line on the David Letterman Show. At least, I don't think I'm dying. - at least not immediately.
But we should be aware of these things - that nothing is forever, certainly not us. Turning 62 has made me pause for a moment and look back - something I don't normally like to do. If I have actually stopped flying for a living, then I have to come up with a plan for the rest of my life. Or...I could just leave it up to "fate"...or put it in God's hands, which has been my modus operandi so far.
All this talk about sandwiches has made me hungry.
2 comments:
My friend, there is way too much to
say in the space allotted. We need to share a bottle (at least) of wine and break this down. But until that happens ... please believe me when I tell you that you are leaving a legacy!
Ah, as gracious and kind as ever, Bob! Thank you.
I too hope that someday soon we may share "a" bottle of wine and solve all of life's great mysteries. I've got a motorcycle in the garage that'll be undergoing some minor modifications over the winter. In the spring it'll be ready for some road trips. Nashville ain't all that far. Hope you like a nice cab ;)
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