Personal Entry 1 - Where I Used To Be

We all have dreams and aspirations as kids. Some of our dreams fall short, and others, we go on to pursue all throughout our life. Our experiences mold us into the people we are today, but sometimes, there are factors out of our control that dictate where we're going in life. My biggest dream as a kid was to fly. I was always amazed at how birds took off, and the speed they beat their wings to stay in the air. I loved all the cartoons as a kid where the super hero or super villain could fly. I even loved the Iron Man series because Tony Stark made a suit that would allow him to fly (as a side note, Iron Man still remains my favorite super hero to this day). Simply put, I wanted to fly, no matter how and no matter what. This dream carried with me all throughout high school and is still a dream I have. When I was 14, I had the opportunity to sign up for the Boces Program in Aviation at my High School and I was ready at that moment to start pursuing my dreams and make it into my career. My parents started becoming involved in my dream and were extremely supportive up until the day my mom asked me if pilots are allowed to be color blind. The question scared me to new levels of fear

I never felt before. I went to research it as fast as possible and there were no clear answers online. My mom, who works at a bank has a bunch of people from all professions come in, including someone who is an airline pilot. He told her, that I fly commercial but I could fly private. This also meant that I couldn't attend the Boces Program at my High School and I felt defeated. Had I been able to take up on the opportunity, I would have taken my flight exams by the age of 17, and could have received my pilot's license last year. I could have been in the air by now, experiencing the rush of flying high above the clouds, but instead I've remained on the ground, envying every plane that goes overhead. This is still my dream job, and while surgery is an option to correct my eyes, I may just wait until I'm in a position where I have a lot of free time to take classes and obtain my license to fly privately. While I may not be able to make a career out of being a pilot for an airline, it is possible to make one from my own business, but I feel it's out of reach. So while the dream will forever live in me, I do feel crushed at the fact that a factor out of my control, given to me by birth is the only deterrent from allowing me to fly.