Ok, so I'm still excited!

After much research and study, long hours reading biographies and reflections, some time reading books, and several phone calls...I've decided that it's still in my blood.  I can't get flyin' out of my mind!

But I've learned a lot over the past couple of months, too.  Namely that flying is not for the faint of heart!  No, no, not in terms of bein' scared when ya fly, but in terms of havin' to sacrifice a lot to get where ya want to go...and to sacrifice even more once ya get there.

I've read a couple stories (and several warnings!) about divorce and pilots, some stories about not bein' able to have a vibrant social life if ya go professional airlines, stories of bein' away from home for days at a time, stories of livin' out of hotels, stories of gettin' paid $20,000 to fly jets...and even more about rackin' up MAJOR debt.  Things I'm not particularly fond of!  But I've also read of flyin' above the clouds, bein' in a different city every day, seein' the country, seein' the world, meetin' some pretty sweet pilots and attendants, havin' fun, bein' challenged, and livin' a dream.  I've read of people gettin' paid to fly!  Things I am particularly fond of.

But there's one thing I keep comin' back to...I read of guys in debt up to the gills...anywhere from $30,000-$55,000 in debt just to follow their dream.  And if ya know anything about me, I looooooove the whole realm of money.  I love workin' with it, I love studyin' it, I love the challenge of it, and I really love sharin' that passion with others (though most don't appear to like it as much as me!).  BUT I HATE DEBT.  With a passion, even!  But what I do love is lookin' at someone in debt, then figurin' out a way to get 'em out.  Frankly, I know what debt can do to people...mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually!  I have worked with people for six years, and I have seen firsthand the negative effects of debt or poor money management!  [But, to be fair, I have also seen good money management, too (on a much less greater scale, though)].  I still say that if all sermons or talks revolved around money and relationships, you would have interested listeners every week.  These two things apply to us all, and when ya really get down to it, I might even suggest that every thought that we have in a given day revolves around or is affected by those two areas.

So anyway, lookin' at my own situation, I ask myself these questions.  Do I love flying?  Can't get it out of my mind.  Would I sacrifice some things to become a more qualified pilot?  Absolutely.  I might not even have a motorcycle this summer!  And trust me, that is a sacrifice!  Would I sacrifice everything to become a pilot (and then sacrifice more to maintain that status)?  I'm not sure I can go that far...I mean, I love hangin' out with people, I love havin' cook-outs, get-togethers, boatin' parties, motorcycle rides, fun vacations.  I love bein' able to go to family events like birthdays, weddings, etc. I just love people!

And another big question for me is...Would I be willing to go $35,000 in debt to chase this dream of bein' a commercial pilot?  Sure.  Tonight, maybe.  Tomorrow, possibly.  Possibly not.  But over the course of a month, I have more no's than yes's.  Yes, I think too much.

No, but seriously, I understand that sometimes you have to pay to play.  And sometimes you have to go under to rise above.  You'll never own a house if at first you don't go $150,000 in debt.  Or $80,000.  Or $450,000.  I understand that.  My grandpa would never own a farm if he didn't borrow money to buy those acres 40 years ago.  I mean, c'mon, Wal-Mart would never have been started if ol' Sammy Walton didn't get a loan from his father-in-law!  Or lease his first stores!  And even on a smaller scale, I would have never bought a motorcycle or car if I didn't go into debt!  Loans are everywhere!  Frankly, it's a part of life, and it's a way to get where you're goin'...

Aha!  That's it...it's good to write sometimes, because ya often learn as you go.  Just as an aside, I think one of the reasons people never get out of debt is because debt is the understood end...I mean, it's how we're supposed to buy things, right?  Everyone has it.  They call them CREDIT cards for a reason, right?!  Anyway, to keep it short here (since this post isn't against debt!), debt is often viewed as the destination (though sometimes unbeknownst to people) and not merely the road.  But debt (if it must be used at all) should be the pathway to get to the ultimate destination.

So I am willing to go into debt in order to become a commercial  pilot.  I really am.  The thought of bein' able to fly and get paid for it absolutely bewilders (and excites!) me!  I mean, I am paying the airport $60-$80 an hour to fly their airplanes!  And the crazy thing?  I keep goin' back!  Needless to say, it's a passion!  Every minute that goes by is $1 in the bucket, but I don't think like that.  Every minute that goes by is a cloud next to me...or a view of Peoria, Macomb, Decatur, Springfield, Lincoln, and Bloomington...all from the same spot 3000 feet up.  Or an opportunity to take someone up for the first time and share the view.  It's simply a joy.

So, yes, I'd go down a road of potholes if I knew the Grand Canyon was around the bend.

But I'm not sure I would walk to the Grand Canyon startin' from here in Illinois with nothin' on my back.  Ya get my drift?  The destination can always be good, but there are wise (and unwise) ways to get there.

So I'm just tryin' to think of the most wise way to get there...and at the same time hold onto my relentless, all or nothin', now or never, attitude of chasin' my dreams.

It's a fun and fine line sometimes.

Ok, all that to say, in just over a week, I will be in Kansas.  Flyin' every day.  And studyin' every day, too.  I am goin' after my Instrument Rating...which means I will be able to fly in low-visibility conditions.  And I can't wait.  I've been lookin' forward to this day every day for the past three months...and even the last four years when I really think about it!

From there, I may get my Multi-Engine, CFI, CFII, MEI, and Commercial Ratings right after that.  It will set me back $35,000.  But it may lead to a chain of department stores cordially named Wally World, too.  It's just hard sayin'.

But as my dad so aptly puts it...

"Nothin' ventured, nothin' gained."