Summer of '24

Revisiting goals for my sabbatical

In my introductory piece, I alluded to some high level goals for my time on sabbatical. I’m three weeks in and I’ve been giving this more thought recently, adding more detail around what I hope to accomplish. These aren’t in any particular order.

Continue my progression as a pilot

I can launch and land competently in relatively calm conditions, but I’m still very green. The certification I hold - P2 - is considered a license to learn and I plan on doing a lot of learning and flying this season. There are fears I want to overcome, like the reticence I feel in stronger, thermic conditions. I’m going to be seeking out mentorship from experienced pilots and participating in several intermediate level trainings to build skill and confidence. Achieving the next rating (P3) will require spending more time in the air, putting new skills to the test.

Update: This Wednesday (5/1) I flew in thermals and climbed to nearly 3000’, setting a new personal record. The altitude didn’t bother me but the air was active, and I had some white-knuckle moments as the glider pitched to and fro. Additional exposure to these kind of conditions, plus training, will help me grow more comfortable and control the glider with confidence and calm. Onward!

My flight path from Wednesday - on the far right you can see the launch

Contribute to the paragliding community

During P2 training, I was fortunate to connect with top tier instructors who care about their students’ long term success. I also learned a lot from other seasoned pilots (including some things to not do). Being a part of this community is inspiring and I want to contribute. Here are some ways I plan on doing that:

• Encouraging new students

• Promoting the sport (go fly a tandem this season!)

• Helping my friends at Tiger’s only USHPA certified paragliding school

• Volunteering at two paragliding competitions (Chelan and Applegate are on the calendar!)

• Working on projects that help make flying site information more accessible

Travel to new places

In the past 10 years, I haven’t travelled much. That’s finally changing this year. Whether we’re talking about day trips (like the recent ones to Fort Flagler or Whidbey Island), or weekenders (OR coast) - there’s so much so see within the Pacific Northwest. Historically, I’ve had I hard time spending money on travel but I’m getting less stingy on experiences and flying at new places gives me an additional incentive. This year, I’m hoping to take an international trip and an early fall excursion to Oahu Hawaii.

Exploring Cape Kiwanda with two of my flying buddies

Be intentional and consistent with writing

Making time in the morning to write and publishing every Friday feels like a pretty good start. I’ve considered taking a writing class of some sort in order to get more guidance on developing my voice and style. Longer term, there’s probably a decision point here around taking the stories I’m sharing through Unflappable and building a meta narrative that could be the foundation for a book. I’ve had enough folks suggest this that I’m beginning to take it seriously, and simply writing with regularity is helping me build the confidence I’ll need to take on a memoir writing endeavor. 

And yet, deciding to write a book about my life feels solipsistic. Is my story really that interesting? Who knows. I definitely need to consider this a bit more and find a writing mentor if I’m going to commit the time and effort it takes.

Develop more clarity on next steps for my career

It sure would be fun if I could write, fly, and travel for whatever years I have left, but I’m not independently wealthy, so once this sabbatical ends I will need to return to working life. But what does that look like? Where do I want to focus my skills and talents? How do I make a good decision knowing that I’m probably not going to live to retirement age? There are so many compounding factors and that’s part of why I decided to step away from work in the first place. Here’s a few things I do know:

• Mission-centric organizations tend to resonate with me

• I’m deeply interested in complex and nuanced business problems that lack clear answers

• Storytelling with narratives and visuals is something I love doing, and I’m pretty good at it

• Continuing to work in the healthcare space seems logical and I’m interested in opportunities that directly overlap with my cancer experience

The other day, a friend told me that getting along with just about anyone was one of my superpowers. Perhaps this affability will help me do more networking and I’ll discover opportunities I hadn’t even considered.

So what do you think? Any advice or inputs on these goals? Add a comment and let’s chat about them.