Photo : Courtesy of Kim Cooper
An unexpected pregnancy — with twins — at the age of 43 was the end of my career as an airline pilot and the beginning of my journey home .
I started flying airplanes when I was 17 years old . As an airline pilot , 26 years later , a typical day looked something like this : I would climb into the cockpit , look out the window at a wall of approaching thunderstorms , and think to myself , “ Man , this is gonna be a long day ,” all the while knowing I had the skills and perseverance to guide 137 people safely across the country . My training had taught me to stay three steps ahead of any potential problems , and failure was never an option .
Now as a stay-at-home mom , my days go something like this : I hear a splash and run down the hall to find four hands in the toilet . I think to myself , “ Man , this is gonna be a long day ,” all the while wondering if I have the skills and perseverance to survive toddlerdom , times two . It is now my responsibility to guide these two little boys safely to their second birthday and beyond , and sometimes I question if any of us are going to make it . I don ’ t know how they do it , but somehow they are always three steps ahead of me . Navigating around thunderstorms was a piece of cake compared to chasing these two around .
When I find myself wondering how I ’ m going to survive another minute of oatmeal finger-paint on the kitchen wall , or someone ’ s head being used as a hockey puck , I think back to when I was 17 years old and learning to fly . I remember how I believed I was invincible and could take on the world . It didn ’ t matter that I was a female and wanted to be a pilot , I could achieve ANYTHING ! When I tap back into that 17-year-old courage , I realize I DO have the strength to make it through the day , whatever the twins decide to throw my way .
Lessons I Learned from My 17-Year-Old Self
Don ’ t Have a Plan B
When I was learning to fly , one of our professors encouraged us to have a double major , “ just in case ” we couldn ’ t get a job as a pilot . He had been around aviation long enough to know it was a fickle career choice , and yet I refused to follow his well-meaning advice . I knew if I committed with all of my being and didn ’ t second-guess myself , I would move forward .
In those early days of flight instruction , when I spent hours sitting at the airport making $ 6,000 a year , it would have been easy to bail for a higher paying career choice . Because I didn ’ t allow myself a Plan B , which meant my only other option was working at Wal- Mart , I had to stick with what I was doing and not give up .
Five years ago , I started my own business , Pathfinder Healing Arts , and continued to fly . It was only after I gave up my Plan B and quit my job at the airline ( which had become my safety net ), that my business began to flourish . After I stopped flying and began worrying about money , I often wished I still had my Plan B .
Which leads to point 2 — You can ’ t go back .
Once I started learning how to fly in 1989 , I didn ’ t let anything
Kim Cooper stop me . I didn ’ t care that most pilots were men . I didn ’ t let it bother me that I was one of three females out of 400 pilots at my first airline job . Once I started , I never looked back .
After I left flying , I found myself saying things like , “ What did I do ? Why did I quit ? I just want to go back .” But I can ’ t go back . I ’ m not the same person I was before the twins or when I had that job . ( Not to mention , I haven ’ t slept for the last two years —
WINTER 2017 INSPIRING LIVES 9