Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds...and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of...wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there, I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air. Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or even eagle flew. And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
-- John Gillespie McGee
Looking back I'm amazed at the many wonderful opportunities I've experienced. I learned quickly that opportunity and circumstance usually knocks once. Much of my success and experiences came through avenues that I least expected, validating in my life that from small and simple things great things come to pass. Integrity is the basis for all good, and for a happy and productive life.
Years later I came across a movie that had a particular power in placing many things in life into perspective. From "Secondhand Lions" I share an excerpt from a scene. An uncle was telling his young nephew a portion of his "Becoming a Man" speech.
"If you need to believe in something, believe it. It doesn't matter if it's true or not. Sometimes, the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most... That people are basically good; There's honor, courage, and virtue in everything; That power and money, money and power mean nothing; That good always triumphs over evil; And remember this, that true love... true love never dies. You see, it doesn't matter if it's true or not, a man should believe in those things because those are the things worth believing in".
At a young age I traveled the globe, circling the entire earth. Austrailia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Iran, Israel, Athens, England and more. Later, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii. I've lived in third world countries, seen first hand dictators and Coup d'état that placed them into power. I proudly served my country in the US Army, and I love this country. God Bless America.
As a young boy my oldest brother Ron, in dealing with great parental opposition, recieved his pilots license. When we went flying, aerobatics was the first order of business! While other kids my age had paper routes I was learning the fine art of barrel rolls, spins, hammerhead's, and more. Three days after my 16th birthday I made my first solo flight. I was logging "Pilot in Command" time before I started drivers education training. One of the highlights of being a 16 year-old pilot was "buzzing" our homecoming game. I executed an awesome roll at about 400 feet (AGL) right over the stadium. Air Traffic Control was not impressed. After I landed and taxied in the office where I rented the aircraft was unusually quiet. My instructor was standing behind the counter with the Ferderal Air Regs open. He barked, "Number 1: Aerobatic manuevers will not be performed in the air traffic pattern -- Especially when the aircraft is not certified for aerobatics! Number 2: No Aerobatic manuever will be performed less than 1500 above ground level (AGL). Number 3: No aerobatic manuver will be performed over a congested crowd of people. Now, Give your soul to God because the chief in the tower wants to see you!" After about a half-hour of being told I could lose my pilot's licence and not to do it again (and I promised I wouldn't) he let me go. It's a good thing he didn't ask to see my license because I was only a student and I didn't have one.
Many years have past and in that time I have experienced so many things, and have worked in so many capacities. My claim to fame is that I've done just about everything once, and that said, I need to add the rejoiner, honorable worthwhile things, exciting things, things that many people just dream about. I've been a dishwasher, a bus-boy, a cook, a student, a soldier, a marketing director, a DJ, a producer, and most importantly a husband and a father. I've experienced flying, skydiving, scuba diving to the limits, rapelling, winter sports, summer sports, outdoor sports, paragliding, powered paragliding and everything in between. In the course of it all I've cried, I've Loved, and I've Lived.
