What th Hell Have I Done?

Usually when you make big changes in your life you get to that certain moment when you say “what the hell have I done?” When I moved from Atlanta to Washington DC back in 1989 I had one of those moments. We moved the first week of November and the 3rd week we were there, about 20 inches of snow fell—I was trudging the half mile to the Metro station the next morning asking myself ‘what have I got myself into???’ There was a foot of snow on the ground for the next month and I kept thinking I had just made a huge mistake coming up here. Turns out, that was pretty much the last big snow until the big blizzard of March 93—all my peeps in ATL remember that one, too. I left DC about 2 weeks later and now I only play in snow that I’m paying to be in…like Winter Park or Ski Dubai

I had another moment, well, actually bunches of them when I transferred back to ATL in 93. I was an Enroute controller prior to 89 and now I was going to the Tower/Approach option…new rules, new equipment, a whole new ballgame, and I hadn’t talked to a plane in almost 4 yrs. I purposely bought a place north of the airport, so I wouldn’t be tempted to quit and go back to work at the center in Hampton. Anyway, I felt like I was starting over in the world of ATC…and I had many ‘what the hell have I done” moments. But it all worked out and for 15 years I had one of the best jobs in the world.

So, if there is anyplace more prime for a ‘what the hell have I done’ moment, it would seem that I have landed here…7000 miles from home in an alien world, away from my kids, all new friends, and learning new rules, new equipment…

I thought I might have one of those moments on the flight over, but I was probably too tired. I think it will all work out just fine…but I’m still expecting some of those ‘moments.’