If there were a 12 step program....I'd be on step 12.

In the spirit of this Thanksgiving season, I wanted to write today about how thankful I am that my life has made a full recovery from my time spent in private aviation. 

After speaking with anyone employed in the private aviation sector, the general consensus is that the lifestyle is a form of addiction. The independence, anonymity, change, spontaneity, exotic travel, the new faces, money, the freedom. 

The irony of these seemingly positive qualities is that they will inevitably restrict and restrain you. Living your life on call, 24 hours a day, is no freedom. If being reliable, being able to plan more than 1 day ahead of time, having a steady paycheck, and having a family are important....you may want to re-think a career in aviation.

Now to my recovery process. In a typical 12 Step AA program, these are the milestones you must reach.

1. I admitted that I was powerless over my life. My ability to choose what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go, how much money I wanted to make, had been taken away from me.

2. I came to believe that a Power greater than myself could restore me to
sanity. After flying for 24 hours at a time, believe me, all sanity is lost at this point!!

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we
understood Him. This step has made the most difference.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. What do I want in life? Do I really want a typical 9-5 job? Will anything ever compare?

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature
of my desire to be... "normal", whatever normal means.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Wait, defect of character??? I wouldn't necessarily say I'm defective!!!!

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Regardless if you're happy with your life or not, we should always be humble, for we will always have shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make
amends to them all. I have been the unreliable family member for 3 1/2 years. How many plane tickets home have gone unused? How many holidays have I left early? How many vacations have my parents taken to visit me, and I end up needing to leave with work? How many fun parties, dates, dinners, trips, have I backed out of last minute because work called, and I needed to leave right away? To all my loved ones who I have hurt, upset, or had to leave hanging because of my job, I am sorry. I know you understand that I did not want to leave you, but I am sorry all the same. I love you and now I'm here to stay, whether you like it or not!!

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do
so would injure them or others. Mom, Dad? How about free plane tickets on me? (Blackout dates may apply.)

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly
admitted it. I'll spare you, but I admit it! Fully!

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us
and the power to carry that out. A good thing for anyone to do, I suppose...

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to travelholics, and to practice these principles in all our
affairs. To all my flight attendant and pilot friends... I know  you won't leave until you're ready...But I'll be here to help you make the scary transition when it's time. :)

I start my new life, my  new job, far from aviation, on Monday. I am so very thankful for all I have seen, learned, experienced. I feel blessed and lucky to have lived the life I've lived... However, I....cannot....wait....for....Monday.