The Road Not Taken?

Denver International Airport

As a preface, I would just like to make it known that as early as February 2008, I had predicted that Joe Biden would be Barack Obama's running mate. Even when the media was hyped for Tim Kaine or Evan Bayh, I stuck with my Biden prediction for one reason: he fills the holes in Obama's resume. The two major criticisms leveled against the Democratic nominee are that he is inexperienced and that he has little in the way of foreign policy credentials. Biden is serving his 36th year in the Senate and is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, making him far more qualified than many of the other proposed contenders.

Yesterday the newly reunited Sun Four traveled up to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs for a day of obstacle courses and leadership training. It was thought-provoking for me, because it made me wonder where I would be if not for Americorps. Some background is needed. I have a 5-year-old-boy-esque fascination with aircraft. From the time I knew what the Air Force Academy was, it became my dream school. I thought (and still do) that being a combat pilot is about the coolest job out there, short of a double-O agent or a vampire hunter or something, and thus I was convinced that I would go through the Academy and end up flying some absurdly fast and powerful fighter as a career.

It was about this point, however, that my eyesight began going to shit. One of the worst days of my life to that point (age 11 or so) was when I learned that I would never be able to do that kind of flying, even if I got contacts or corrective surgery. From that point, my interest in the Academy waned; I could still get flight training, but I would be restricted to transports and the like. Not that those aren't vital to the logistics of the military, but that wasn't the kind of flying I wanted to do and thus another dream fell by the wayside. Watching cadet-piloted gliders soar overhead yesterday made me remember that particular ambition, and from that point my thoughts drifted to what I would be doing if I had not joined Americorps.

Most likely I would be going to school (though NOT at Catholic University...one year of that shit was enough), probably working (and making FAR more money than I do now, but I digress) and trying to figure out what I want to do with my life (making just as much progress...none...as I have thus far). This kind of what-if game is not, however, helpful. I need to learn to just accept where I am and what I'm doing.