Taking Flight

"What is your heaviest burden?" asked the child. "To have nothing to carry," answered the old man." ~Source Unknown

My good friend, Susana, started an email chain between the neighborhood girls of "old" pictures of ourselves. This prompted me to have my mother bring over my childhood photos among which I found my paternal great-grandmother's eulogy. The speaker discusses at great length how many in their twilight years spend their time just waiting. My great-grandmother was not one of them. She was a photographer, a lawyer, a mother, grandmother, and civil servant. Her life was full despite near complete blindness and many health issues.

I believe that parents, of young children especially, also may fall into the waiting trap. In my own life, transitioning from a career woman to a stay at home mom, though immensely important and satisfying, was difficult. I have found it hard to balance keeping my life full and interesting while still focusing on the far more important needs and development of my daughter.

We have playgroups, play dates, lunch dates, music class, and school and, of course, some work with real estate. All of these keep us busy, entertained, but...

SO, to add some excitement, I have decided to take up flying!!! After coming down with a bad case of fear of flying a few years ago, the passion I have for traveling took a backseat. For my family's sake, and for my own, I want to overcome it, and also to get a few rushes of adrenaline. My first lesson is next Friday (also my beautiful sister in law's birthday).

In the spirit of Susana's picture sharing and learning to fly, here's a picture of Amir during his time in the Israeli Army's Flight Academy.