It was a moment of revelation for me. I was seventeen when I learned to fly, just a stupid kid, and if I knew then what I know now, I wouldnt have done it. I didnt necessarily regret it, in fact quite the opposite; I love to fly. I love everything about it. I just suddenly realized that Im not inherently brave enough of a person to have put myself through all that Ive endured while chasing the clouds. I was a kid so squarely risk averse that I demanded everyone get their money back after playing cards for pennies and nickels. I was a kid who was intimidated by the challenges involved with earning Boy Scout badges or the honor roll. If I had been offered a safe, effortless, and boring destiny, to never have to face the unknown, I wouldve taken it and probably never looked back.