Originally Posted by
Aloha
It is a sad post you have there.
In the hopes of cheering you up, you have lead a good life. Flying the bush in the cold north, is quite a life. They make movies about those bush pilots. Besides, I bet if you look at the lives of your buddies, you will see ones with their own share of mediocrity and regret. I doubt you are the type of man that defines himself strictly by the job he does. All that work and the sacrifce has taught you that if one has a dream (allbeit misguided, looking back) one can accomplish anything in this life. Knowing that, is a powerful thing - especially to teach that to your children, and knowing it to be personally true.
My .02 cents,
-Aloha
Aloha,
I was able to accomplish a lot of things however none of them lead to the completion of my goal. My journey to aviation was long and painful. I did a lot of things that I did not want to do because the trail lead there and I though that on the other side of the list of sacrifices was my goal.
I ended up wasting the best years of my life, youthful momentum and determination on a dead end. It all was a waste. My peers who all lead monotonous lives now can enjoy status, respect and value in their careers.
I do measure myself by the job. It becomes more important as we age. Now approaching middle age feel like a fool. I don't know how old you are but accomplishments and professional status begin to mean more as we get older. My flying career took the best of my time and resources. I have seen a lot of my peers reduced to a small apartment by middle age thanks to their flying career. No family, few friends and no life. We are doing well but it is not what I had hoped for.
I don't know what to tell my children.
Skyhigh