Seeing the silver lining...

As most of you know it has been a rough couple of years for me. I have shared my journey thus far, of losing the eyesight in my left eye. You have traveled with me on the ups, downs, twists, and turns this roller coaster has taken. The multiples of injections I endured, the laser procedures (which left permanent scars, only I can see), the cataract surgery and then glaucoma (which I still have flare-ups on occasions). I have always accepted what was and what would come. For the most part, I have tried to stay positive and see the silver lining. I have stopped the injections as I had previously said I was going to do because they were inherently causing more damage than they were actually helping. My life has changed in the manner of what I am physically able to do has become limited. Now when I say physically able I do not mean my vision prevents me from lifting, walking, talking, etc...I simply mean things I took for granted I miss, driving at night, being able to see in the dark, you know the simple things. However, I am grateful for the fact I can still see using glasses. I am still able to (with limitations, of course) be creative, write, read, watch movies, basically still live my life.
The one thing I wanted to do was get my pilots license so I could share in the world of flight with my husband. I truly thought I would only get to share in that world as a passenger, but he found a way for me to share in a different way and still be part of the world of flight. I have shared some videos and pictures as I took my want for flight and made it a reality. I did not allow my lack of sight to stop me from taking full advantage of learning how to have my own wings. Does my lack of sight make it more dangerous, no, because I know to follow what my body is telling me and to listen to my inner voice and be mindful of making the choice to stay on the ground and wish I was in the sky then to take a risk and be in the sky wishing I had stayed on the ground.
Everyone has a bucket list, even if they don't call it a bucket list, of things they want to do or accomplish in this one life we are given. With my story, I am showing you, even if you have something which limits your abilities don't give up, make it happen. There are always ways to make what you want to happen even if you don't see it, there is someone else out there doing it a different way which just may be the way you need it. If something is worth wanting and having, then it is worth the fight and the search to make it happen. Do what is going to make you happen in this life and help you live your life and not just let it pass you by as you watch.
Take that bull by the horns! Find the silver lining! Don't be the wall flower, be the rain which makes it grow!

Learn before you do...

Some people say education is overrated. Then you have those who think they can teach themselves better. I have to admit there are some things you can teach yourself but then there are things you shouldn't try to teach yourself for your own safety. Paramotoring is one of those things you should not try to teach yourself. There are so many details you can't learn by watching a youtube video to learn. I learned so much during my eight days at Skyfield Flightworks. There is so much more to learning paramotoring than knowing how to get off the ground and return to it. The knowledge I gained from the years of experience, numerous flights, and training of my instructors is something you can not get from watching a video. This wonderful way of experiencing the sky is amazing and so freeing. However, without the proper education, just like flying a plane, it can be dangerous. Without the education of how to handle things which can happen unexpectedly or happen because you think you know it all will leave you making the wrong choice in a very serious situation. Just as with people who represent themselves is a lawyer who has a client who is a fool. So don't be a fool and go to school!
                         Learn the skill and keep the sport safe for all!

                   

 

Wishing I was in the sky...

 
I spent eight days learning to run into the sky and fly with the birds feeling the air against my face and to see the wide, wide world around me. I stepped outside my comfort zone and learned so much about myself. There truly is nothing to stop you as long as you are open to the experience. As you all know I am 80% blind in one eye, well to answer some questions I am sure are popping into your minds. Yes, depth perception is an issue for me on a daily bases, but because I had such amazing instructors my blindness was not a disability and I was able to not only fly, I was able to land without fear I was going to crash. I am so grateful to my husband for bringing this adventure into our lives and making it a full family affair. I look forward to the many adventures of flying together, feeling the wind, seeing the amazing world below us, and sharing it with our family (at least three of them for now). Looking to the sky is so different these days cause all I can think is, "I wish I were flying right now!" Don't let any limitation you think you might have stop you from going for what you want, nothing can stop you except your doubt, so don't let it!! Step outside your comfort zone and reach for your own sky!

Vacation recovery...

I am sure most everyone knows you always need a vacation from your vacation. Time to decompress, and get back to your regular routines. Most of the time we are on vacation right up to the last moment we can because we either only have so much time for vacation or we just push it to the limits.
I however for the first time have the time to actually recover from my vacation. I didn't take the first day to just relax like I thought I would, I jumped right in trying to get myself back into a positive routine in cleaning the house, doing the laundry, cleaning the carpets, cleaning the kitchen, and spending time with my dogs. Of course, spending time with my dogs should be relaxing but it was more getting them back on their routine.
Today I took the day off, I still did the things I couldn't take off from doing, and have spent the day catching up on my recorded shows. I did get up and do my thirty-minute walk like I had planned to do to make up for not doing it last night. I have decided I am taking the steps to be healthier and get my physical strength back on track so I can enjoy more time in the sky.

Vacation...

I spent the last four weeks on vacation. It has been a very busy month but fun and educational. When my week of learning and becoming a paramotor pilot ended, much to my dismay cause even though it was hard I really wanted to get another chance to get back in the air again. Unfortunately, other plans and the wind just kept it from being possible. However, I was looking forward to my visit to FL to see my nieces and my first granddaughter.
I spent a wonderful three days with my middle sister and her two girls. I got to meet my youngest niece for the first time. We took a trip to Epcot which was fun, even though it was really hot. We took in a couple country movies to escape the heat. Enjoyed a meal in Japan and escaped the rain while we ate. We also went to a dinner where a met a very interesting young woman, enjoyed some very delicious food, and witnessed a celebration of the close of Ramadan. The dinner we joined was created to share the differences and the similarities in religions. I am not sure if there is anything like it anywhere outside of Orlando but it was a very unique experience and I am glad I got to experience it.
I spent the following week with my other sister and her two girls. I got to relax a bit while I was with her. I even got to finish a chapter in my new mystery thriller. I got some new clothes which I really needed for summer. We had discussed and planned to visit our father but that plan didn't work out. I had gotten news my big puppy was not doing well, was on call for possibly having to return home to take care of him but was told he was doing better but not soon enough to still make the trip to our dads before my husband was on his way to pick me up to head back to the first sister's house to visit her a little more and meet and attend my first granddaughter's first birthday.
There was a lot of driving involved in the last part of our trip. It felt as though we were on the road more than we were at any one location but I enjoyed the time we did have at each place. I was so excited to get a chance to be a part of my granddaughter's first birthday.
So all in all, despite the amount of time in the car, the vacation was a great one. I did so many things I had never done or experienced before. The best part about it is I actually lived my life on these four weeks instead of letting it just pass me by. So, I am telling you now, the only way to experience life is to live it in real time and not on the sidelines. Don't just make your bucket list, live it now, don't wait for it to be done at a later date. Time is the one thing we always say not to waste.