Glad it's not a Baby!

My previous careers stop short. This one goes to infinity.

Dear Shawn,

As I start my 19th year at Mother Airline, I started to reminisce last night.

It's hard to believe it's been 18 years since I walked into World Headquarters in Chicago with nothing but a large suitcase. I was both excited and nervous, as I had never quite embarked on anything quite like this. Of course, leaving my comfort zone of Texas for Annapolis, MD to become the general manager of a motorcycle dealership five years previous was of immense help.

I remember that the Olympics were going on at the time, I was not able to watch them, as I had done so many times before. This was something I would have to get used to, as one misses many things when flying for a living- birthday parties, dinners, dates, weddings, holidays, so many wonderful times given up for so many unknown others.

I had been living in temporary housing in Annapolis, because it was about six weeks from being hired until I started training, and I had to move out of the luxury riverside town home I had been renting. A friend had a room in her back yard, basically, a shed converted to a nice room. I had to use the main house for the rest room and kitchen, but I lived in that little room with my two cats, Adelie and Kipper, who deserve freaking medals for enduring what I put them through for the six months it took me to settle into California. It was an interesting transition from the comforts of that town home on the Severn River, across from the Naval Academy, with views of the state capitol in a six-level, four-story home on the water, to living in a shed in someone's back yard. My whole life was about to shift in a similar fashion.

I have so many vivid memories of the Chicago training center and the wonderful people I met there. I loved the training, graduating top of my class, and wish I had fallen into doing this so many years sooner. Aviation was always a passion of mine, it just never dawned on me to go for a career in it, and I certainly never wanted to be a flight attendant. I didn't want to, even when I was training to become one. But as soon as I got on the line and started flying, I fell in love right away.

My first year flying was the best. I had great trips, long layovers with time to explore the world, one city at a time. Staffing levels on the planes were high and the work was easy. I was meeting so many wonderful people, both on the jumpseat and in seats on planes and in terminals. When I was done working for the day, I was in another city and a van, or in some cases, a limo, would pick me up with very little wait to take me to a very nice hotel. Pilots often treated the crew to drinks. It was a very social life, just, always with different people.

For a typical Sagittarius, one who loves travel, it was the perfect fit. I still had a large savings from my previous job, so I was able to afford living in the Bay Area on what little income we had. (One does not become a flight attendant for the pay, that’s for sure!) It was all so magical, I began writing about it to my friends and family. It was my Uncle Joel who convinced me to write a book.

Then 9-11 happened and I found myself with a lot of time off to write that book, as those of us more junior were furloughed. With money still in the bank and unemployment benefits coming in, I didn't find another job. Mother Airline gave us a year with travel benefits. I wasn't sure I'd ever have the job again, so I took advantage of those benefits and I went out to see more of the world- Hong Kong, Milan, New York City, London, Honolulu, Brussels. It was almost a disappointment when I was called back to work six months later, thus ending my long vacation, but being back with my airline family brought tears to my eyes. Of course, the job was now much changed, more work, less pay, longer days, shorter layovers. Also, my life is pretty much nothing but a vacation.

There are so many people I'd like to thank....

I've learned so much from this career, and I'm still learning. If this were a university program, I'd have so many degrees! If you ever want to know things, mostly silly things, just ask a flight attendant! We know the best places for shopping, eating and drinking. (Drinking comes natural, to help deal with the insanity we are faced with on a regular basis!)

It’s hard to believe that if my career were, instead, a child, birthed at the time of the 2000 Olympics, that child would now be off in college. Sure, I face many challenges with this job, but at the end of one of my worst days, I feel like it’s better than some of the best days doing a normal desk job. My bags are always packed. I have two of every toiletry item, and I buy underwear to last at least 2 weeks, because it can often be that long before I have time to do laundry. I may miss your weekend BBQ, but hope you keep inviting me, because eventually, the planets will align and I will be there, although, most likely with jet-lag. I love airplanes, I love airports, I love hotels, I love meeting people and trying to make them laugh (and sometimes I fail because they just don’t get my humor). Most of all, I love my career flying around the world!

My passion for safety now me has volunteering for our union.