WHAT IS DANGER?

Well the weekend is over and it's back to reality.

I spent the weekend at a SAREX for CASARA. SAREX stands for Search and Rescue Exercise and CASARA is Civil Air Search and Rescue. What an amazing time. I met so many like minded individuals and learned so much about the process of how Search and Rescue works, and how it is co ordinated should a real search occur. I also received some amazing spotter training, and am starting to feel a little more confident should a real search occur.

The great thing about the weekend is that I was able to log a lot of time in the aircraft, and every hour counts towards becoming certified. I love being in the air in a small plane. To me there is nothing better than gazing down below and seeing the beautiful landscapes and scenery whip by. For me, everything in my mind disappears and I can just take in all the beauty that the earth holds for us.

Now there are a lot of people that tell me what I'm doing is dangerous. And yes, they are right, it is somewhat dangerous. Flying 500 ft off the ground in a search holds an element of danger because there isn't a lot of room for recovery should you experience an engine failure. But the thing is, life is dangerous. I mean, no one is getting out alive right?

 And last night something happened that put it all in to perspective for me. We had arrived back home and were eating our supper. It was a lovely meal of Beef Tenderloin, Salad and Sweet Potato. Yummy. As I was eating I inhaled and was suddenly choking. I could barely breathe. And it was scary. My husband was very calm and was able to help me and I got it out and all was ok. But what struck me was that after all that "Dangerous" flying we did all weekend, I came home and choked on a piece of meat, and that could have been the end for me. No dramatic plane crash. Nope, just good old fashioned choking to death. And it really made a big impact on me. We all know life is fatal, and we never know how or when it is going to happen. It could be today, tomorrow, fifty years from now. I really don't know. But what I do know is that I am going to do the things that make me happy and give me personal satisfaction. I'm not going to miss out on life because something holds an element of danger.

Now I'm not saying it's ok to go out and be reckless and take silly chances. That's not what I mean. But I do think we need to be happy as human beings. So if you have always wanted to go skydiving, do it. If you've always wanted to go scuba diving, do it. Find what makes you feel satisfied, what makes you happy, what makes you feel alive, and go for it.  We aren't all the same and we don't all want to go flying or skydive. But the point is, life is so short, it can be erased at any moment, so don't miss out on something you want to do out of fear. Because in the end, all it could be is a little piece of meat that takes you down.

So I'm going to continue to fly. I may even renew my pilot's license again ( don't tell my Mom ) and I'm going to experience all the joy that it brings me. And the best part of it all, is that my husband and best friend shares my passion for flight. We were able to enjoy our time learning together as a couple. And as we flew home yesterday in the back of a Cessna 172, he put his arm around me and I snuggled against his chest as the world passed beneath us. And for a little while all was perfect in my world.

Below are some pictures of our amazing weekend.