It was as if Lee was slowing down time. I was panicked and felt myself starting to rush things to get them over. The plane was still gaining speed and altitude. It was then that I realized what Lee was doing. He knew that costly mistakes could happen if we moved too fast. He was aware of the danger of shutting down the wrong engine. He knew that the plane could fly just fine on one engine but that it wouldn’t fly well with a panicked pilot. A professional calm came over me — the kind that only comes from training and drilling. While the plane was still quickly accelerating (I still had to make sure I would break the speed limit), we had a lot to do in a short amount of time. However, I was no longer rushed. We operated as a crew. We took action. We handled the emergency and landed safely.
To this day I am thankful that Lee was my partner, and not just because of how the flight test turned out (I passed). The lessons Lee taught me that day surpassed usefulness in handling airplanes. He showed me that when life is moving fast, mistakes are costly, and the best thing we can do is to remain unhurried. The speed of life, like the speed of the plane that day, can be blisteringly fast. Add an emergency or an unsuspected event, and things can feel overwhelming and oppressive very quickly. The speed of life remains the same. However, the pace at which I operate is controllable. The pace of life is an internal state of being. When we pace ourselves, we can prioritize and execute more effectively than just reacting. I can see what’s most important and do it.
As your life speeds up and the number of moving parts increases, there will inevitably be more demands on your time than hours available to meet those demands. While you can’t change the speed or the unexpected events of life, perhaps we can all learn from Lee and slow down inside. When chaos abounds, we can learn to respond from an internal calm rather than to external pressures. “Slipping the surly bonds of earth” will for many of us remain an escape and a way of gaining a new perspective. The serenity of an early-morning flight as the sun rises over the horizon will remain a sanctuary.
However, when you return to the stress and pressure of life, continue to use the skills that help you stay focused and aware in the airplane in your life. Skills of being focused, fully present and unhurried. The pace of life and emergencies is more related to our ability to be present than the number of things we have to do or the time in which we have to do them. Slowing down the pace of life actually enables us to be more efficient and effective in a response to the tasks of life.
Lee, wherever you are, thank you. Thanks for teaching me to operate a jet, but mostly thanks for teaching me a valuable lesson about life. Although we can never control the speed of life, the internal pace at which we approach is something we can control.