Learn to fly
It was June of 2006, in Mexico and on vacation with some family friends. We got hit with dreaded phone call that someone close to us has cancer. As soon as we got back from the trip, I stopped in to see him. He was someone I spent time with pretty regularly and had frequent contact with. From the day I went to see him in his office to a few months later, now in September, his cancer had become terminal—a 10% chance to survive. We celebrated his 50th birthday, but by January, he was gone. As I pondered this, in the tragedy of the moment, I reflected on my own life, my own unrealized dreams. I had always wanted to be a pilot, I had began this process when I first came to Virginia, then I started Apex and all my time and money became tied up in that. Shortly following, between working and the children, time had slipped away from me. So, the market favored me for the time being, and I took the opportunity. It took me three months to get the license and shortly after, I achieved several ratings. Then three years ago, I purchased my first plane. It was a huge accomplishment for me. My plane was a Mooney and I flew it all over the place. Unfortunately, to be safe you need to fly your plane a lot, and I just couldn’t take the time to do so and I sold the plane. Now, if I need to go somewhere, I charter a plane or find a buddy to fly for me.
Time flies, something you don’t realize until the moment hits you or tragedy strikes. One morning you may wake up and realize that your life as you know it is over, or before you really have the chance to understand what’s going on, your nineteen-year-old son is joining the air force when he was just born yesterday. It’s important to consider that in life’s inevitable end or fragility, that the moments that matter most are the ones we make for ourselves. If it means making sacrifices, or just getting up and going around to have fun with your friends or family, those moments are worth taking. At the end of the day, when they lower you into the ground, you won’t want your tombstone to read how many hours you spent behind a desk. Opportunity exists for those who are willing to seize it. Your dreams don’t even need to be grand for them to be worth pursuing, so long as you are pursuing them. Everyone is always busy--raising a family or running a business. Opportunities will always be slipping away, but Tempis Fugit, and so can you.
