I Won't Back Down (thanks Tom Petty!)

 This is a picture taken of me yesterday. The backstory: We have been working on connecting students with math beyond school, in our Thames Valley District School Board community.  Each month, our team is on location around the valley highlighting the mathematics and creating additional problems for students to work through back in the classroom.

Yesterday was significant for so many reasons. The thoughts in my head are still swirling around, and I know writing is cathartic for me as I am working through all of this.

So, how did we get here exactly? Well, through the power of social media, I reached out to a London pilot named Dave that had popped up on my feed. I explained the project and the intentions behind it, and asked him to reach out to me if he was interested. A very short time later, we were communicating via e-mail and he very kindly offered to fly us around and actually talk about the math as it was happening. He felt that would be more engaging than the ground interview I originally pitched for. (completely agree!!!)

We planned to fly on Sunday, weather permitting. Dave sent us an e-mail on Friday that I perceived as so detailed and beyond kind. It's like he knew that I hadn't been sleeping well as I was super anxious over flying in a small plane.  Size doesn't matter here - I am super anxious in large planes as well.  On Sunday morning, I texted my Mom to let her know what I was doing that day. As always, Mom knew exactly how I was feeling. She said that she would love that opportunity and that I need to look on it as another memory being made. With her words echoing in my head, and a reread of the fully detailed e-mail from Dave, I headed to the airport. Thankfully, I was experiencing this with my incredible colleague, Hana. Reading me like a book, she knew I was nervous as we headed into the Executive Aviation building. My heart was pounding, and my asthma was starting to act up. Hana has way more experience with flying than I do, but she still understood how I was feeling, and supported me like always. 

I wholeheartedly believe that people come into our lives for a reason, and whether we cross paths for a long period of time, or a brief period of time, it is important to acknowledge this, and to be grateful for the people we meet. Hana has been in my life for a long period of time, but working side by side this year has brought us closer together, and I am so grateful our paths have crossed. Okay, so where am I going with this? From the moment we met Dave, we knew that we were in good hands. He truly does have such a calming effect on people, and has such a kind demeanor. Definitely interpreted that e-mail correctly.

This picture, taken moments before take off has so many unseen facets. What you don't see is me conquering an irrational (?) fear. I made it into the plane and strapped myself in. From the pics taken in the air (that are incredibly beautiful by the way) what you don't see is me honestly soaking up every moment from the sights to the conversations we had with our new friend, Dave.  Two takeoffs and two landings later, I wasn't finished.  I offered to fly with Dave back to the hangar in a different community, and in return, I would drive his vehicle back to London so he could rest/catch up on work that he missed when he was flying us around. We witnessed the sun setting on the flight, and then I got to experience flying at night over different communities close to home. Before we landed in our final destination. The beauty of a city from the air at night left me speechless. I still don't have the words to describe the entire experience.

Often when I am snowmobiling, I am repeating the mantra that "I can do hard things".  It has become such a comfort phrase for me when I find myself in situations that I am not feeling entirely confident about. I did not back down from this amazing experience, and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity.