Be Grateful for the Opportunity!
Last weekend I was at the Northwest Aviation Conference selling books. But more than selling books, this is a time to meet and talk with aviation enthusiasts of all kinds. Sharing the love of aviation. Connecting with others. Sharing experiences.
I have always been one to believe that we can do anything if we work hard enough, want it badly enough. Others may tell us no, but we can have the power to accomplish our dreams. Until I met Ruslan.
Ruslan was at the conference because of his love of aviation. He wanted to be a commercial pilot more than anything. I was then asked by his friend to please tell this delightful young man why he could not be a commercial pilot.
Ruslan is deaf. He cannot speak. I explained to him the many reasons we had to talk on the radio to be a commercial aviator. This was all translated by sign language by one of his friends. It broke my heart to meet someone with such passion, and I had to destroy his his dream. I gifted him a copy of Flight To Success. I know Ruslan can find another dream.
Then the second day I met another young man with three awesome kids....
He too wanted to be a pilot and went as far to get his pilots license, and then learned he was colorblind and could not fly commercially.
The moral of these stories is a reminder to be grateful for all the gifts we have, even those we take for granted, such as our eyesight and hearing. And for whatever fate befalls you and changes your course in life, find a new course.
Life is short. Be grateful for every moment, and remember to live it to the fullest!
Enjoy the journey!
XO Karlene
Wow. QUITE heartbreaking anecdotes, Karlene.
ReplyDeleteRuslan:
I think that it says something, that his friend asked YOU to break the news to Ruslan. I'm sure that there were many airline pilots there, but his friend instinctively knew that you were the ONE to make Ruslan understand. It's like falling in love, only to realize that it was not meant to be...
Maybe he could still be included in the world of flying: I just found his...
www.deafpilots.org
Do you know how to reach Ruslan? Or, maybe he will write to you, when he reads your book.
Dan, Ruslan is flying small planes. One of his friends did too. He just wanted to take that to the airlines. I hope that he writes to me, as he has my contact information.
DeleteDid you log onto that website? My computer says it's harmful. I would love to learn more. I would also like to learn sign language too.
Thank you for your comment!!!