Last Tuesday was just like any other day. As I was plodding through my day in New Smyrna Beach, I received a phone call from a St Louis area number. Instantly, I knew Trans States was calling. Several weeks ago, I had put my request in to be moved to an earlier class date. I was hoping this was the call; only 6 day remained before the earlier date was scheduled to start. Much to my dismay, the conversation was just a confirmation that I would still be showing up to training on the 23rd. Indeed, I was. "Oh, and one more thing," I chimed in. "If anything opens up on Monday, I'd be willing to be moved up a few weeks." She said she'd look into it and let me know the next day.
In the airline industry, seniority is everything. As has been witnessed by the last 10 years of bankruptcies and instability, one additional person below you can be the difference between having a job or being on the streets during a furlough. On a positive note, if you can get ahead of just one more person, you can make Captain that much sooner.
The following day, HR called back and said it wouldn't be possible to move my class date. After a relatively lengthy explanation as to why not, I resigned to the fact that I'd just have to wait an additional 2 weeks. Instead, I'd be joining my best friends from Montana in Vegas for a mini-reunion. I suppose if you can't have one, you might as well have the other.
The rest of the week was relatively painless, all things considered. On Friday morning, I joked with the Starbucks barista I usually talked to in the morning that the previous day was one of "those" days. "As I was sitting there talking to a student, I almost threw up my hands in frustration and just walked out of the job. So, I decided to go to Las Vegas today," I embellished. I did in fact have one of those days and I was in fact going to Las Vegas in the afternoon. The two, however, were completely mutually exclusive. Note to self, your "game" still sucks.
Friday was shaping up to be just like Thursday. I was sitting there staring at a student while evaluating him on his instrument knowledge. "So, how to GPS work?" I asked the student. He merely shrugged back at me. "Well, look it up," I said exhaling and rubbed my head in frustration. Another one of those days. I really wish...
My phone started ringing again and the screen lit up with that familiar number. The student started talking but I wasn't paying attention. As I stared at the screen, my heart skipped a beat. Could this be what I think it is? I quickly rejected the call to send it to voicemail and tried to concentrate on the student as he stuttered through the answer. My phone buzzed again as Google sent me a text with its best guess as to what the voicemail said. As with all new technologies, it wasn't perfect, but I got the meaning fairly quickly
Transcript: "Hi Chris, Is got this instead, and we can get you in class if you wanna come on Monday, so call me back."
"I'm sorry, can you hang on for a second?" I asked the student as I walked out, nearly heart racing. I listened to the voicemail to confirm what the text was saying and Google heard it correctly. Class starts in less than 3 days. I'm in. What about Vegas? What about my stuff? After a few quick phone calls to my mom and my uncle, I quickly made my decision. I was going.
I walked into my boss's office and sat down. "So, I have good news and I have some bad news." The fact that I was leaving wasn't news to him. He knew it was coming and I had told him 99% chance it was on the 23rd with a remote chance on the 9th. He leaned back in his chair and looked at me. "Well, go with the bad news first."
"So, Trans States just called me and they want me to start on Monday." He tilted his head to the side, told me that it was a good opportunity and that he was happy for me.
"Okay, " he smiled, "now tell me the good news."
"Trans States just called AND THEY WANT ME TO START ON MONDAY!" I couldn't hold back. As I walked back to finish the day I had scheduled, I couldn't help but feel a little bad. I'd grown comfortable and become successful here. I caught myself thinking that I should stick around for something better but as soon as those thoughts entered my mind, I remembered all the reasons why I wanted and needed to move on. It was time.
After the biweekly meeting at the end of the day, I picked up my check and walked out the door for the final time. I never thought it would happen so suddenly. I drove home in silence and reflected on my last two years in Florida. I would be back briefly to pack my things, but the next day I would be essentially leaving forever. The thoughts were no less humbling than when I left Colorado or Montana.
Exactly two years ago tomorrow, I packed up my little car and headed down to St Pete, Florida to begin this journey. It was a weird time in my life and, to this day, I can't bring myself to read the blogs I wrote back then. I'll let you all judge my insecurities, my frustrations, and my sadness. What I can say, however, is that my time in Florida turned my life around. I now walk taller, laugh harder and am proud of what I have become.
On my trip to St Louis, I made time to visit family. My cousin Frankie and his new wife Claire welcomed me for dinner in their new home town of Atlanta. It had only been a few weeks since I visited Nashville to witness their union and only the third time ever that I'd met Claire. Even still, I found myself wanting to stay all night to talk and joke. It was something that I would've never done two years ago on the trip down to Florida. In fact, I remember specifically avoiding places where my family was out of embarrassment of what I had become. As I left Atlanta, I made a mental note to visit again. It was clearly apparent that night, on my next day's brief lunch with my Aunt and Uncle in Nashville and after spending the weekend at the wedding with my whole extended family that no matter how poorly I thought of myself, they were always there, standing behind me in support. Never again will I make an effort to avoid them; on the contrary, I will go out of my way to seek them out.
So, today I begin a new journey. The last 30 years of my life have contained many challenges but none that I did not conquer. This will be no different. As I listened to the overview of the course, for once I looked forward with anticipation. This is my time to shine. I smiled. My, how things have changed.
I want to thank each and every one of you who continue to read this blog. Every so often, I check to see if anyone is actually reading by checking page views and each time, I am stunned by both your quiet and oftentimes vocal support. Each and every one of you have kept me going and your support means the world to me. As I stand at the doorstep of my dream, knocking, I will continue to share my every experience. I hope you all will join me as I start this new and exciting journey.
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