A young college student—studying to be a lawyer, or FBI agent, or something—was sitting in a bar. Out of the blue came a pilot, and next thing she knew, she was learning to fly.
Cindy loved it. One thing led to another, and air-mileage accrued, until she found herself flying big airplanes and answering to the name of Captain.
16 years later, after bringing a small aircraft in from Dallas, Cindy is riding passenger-style on her way home to San Diego. Little does she know, she is sitting beside UCSD’s intrepid Wellness Journalist. I notice the friendly, joking mannerisms between her and the flight crew, and it occurs to me that my seat-mate is “occupationally well.” Having uncovered the uncanny origin of her career, I ask her what she likes best about her work. “The freedom,” she says. “No boss hovering over your shoulder. And if you don’t like somebody, you don’t have to work with them.” Cindy is the captain of her own ship, or airplane, as it were. I can imagine how refreshing this must be, compared to folk stuffed in an office with the same personalities day in and day out. Variety and mobility are woven into her routine. Furthermore, work never comes home with her. “If you have a bad day, it doesn’t carry over to the next day.”
“Isn’t piloting a rather, um, male-dominated profession?” I ask, recalling the many captain’s announcements I’ve heard crackling over the intercom (which all sound to be the same middle aged cowboy, more or less). She tells me that 5% of professional aviators are women.
I wonder if this imbalance poses a challenge, but Cindy quickly shakes her head no. “Maybe it did at first,” she says. “But I just don’t care.”
This simple statement is a stroke of brilliance. There are so many excuses for deferring a dream or postponing a passion. Take a statistic some women would be daunted by, discount it, and poof! It’s not a problem.
Striking in her captain’s uniform, Cindy is a prime-time example of how life guides your feet, hands, eyes, ears, and/or nose in unexpected, wonderful ways. Maintain an open connection to that which brings you joy; your hobby can become your career!
The pilot Cindy met in the bar is now her husband. They both work for United Airlines. They have a seven year old son and a three year old daughter.
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