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Views and opinions: Running on autopilot can be a good thing, if looked at right
 

I always waited with anticipation as I watched my dad go through his checklist just before we would take off into the wild blue yonder.

I grew up flying in small planes with my dad and, no matter how many times I got airsick, I was always ready to jump in the plane and take off again to the next adventure. Dawn patrols, Sunday dinners across the state, or a trek across the country – we racked up the frequent flyer miles with Richard Airlines.

My dad owned a lot of planes over the years. He enjoyed buying and selling them, and that meant we were always hopping into a different airplane. The last few planes he owned came equipped with autopilot.

My dad enjoyed this feature and when we would get to our cruising elevation, he would put the plane on autopilot and without fail, he would doze off for a catnap. While we were used to this, the first time my husband sat in the co-pilot seat and looked over to see my dad sleeping, he was shocked.

He turned around and looked at me in horror and wondered if he was going to have to take over the controls. I assured him Dad would wake up in a few minutes and make sure we were on course.

Do you feel like you’re on autopilot? Do you get up and do the same thing day after day? Has your routine become mundane, or has the expectation of the adventure in life left you?

Maybe you have no highs or lows? Maybe you’re too busy just getting by without any feeling of victory or defeat. Do you feel like you’re dozing through life?

We all go through seasons like this, feeling like we’re not making any difference in life. We get tired of our job, our lives don’t look like those on social media, and we wonder if this is the life that was meant for us.

If this is you, take a gander back at your life and see where you’ve come from. Do you have any idea of the skills you’ve gained over time? You are doing things now that you never thought you’d be able to master.

Some of you have gone through some rough patches, but they are just far enough in the distance that you can’t see how rough they really were, and that at one point in time you thought you would never get through them. Fear has gripped your life so many times, but look at you now – you’re fearless.

So, enjoy a little doze on autopilot. You’re going to need this reprieve, because there’s an adventure waiting just around the corner.

 

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Melissa Hart may write to her in care of this publication.

8/22/2019