Apart from a gap of 18 years, when I was travelling, studying, or couldn't afford it (sometimes all three!) I have been a glider pilot since I was 15. Yesterday, Sunday 05 April, I had my first thermal cross country flight in the UK this year and it struck me yet again how gliding is a physical manifestation of the ups and downs of life in general.
Sometimes in gliding - and in life - you make a wrong decision and get away with it, convincing yourself that it was actually your own skill that got you out of the hole, when in fact it was an external force (eg you stumbled into a thermal). Other times, you make the right decision, but neverthesless it all goes pear shaped and you wonder what on earth you have to do for the gods to treat you fairly.
Similarly, when you are up at cloud base and can see for ever, the world is your oyster and the future is full of unlimited possibilities. Experience tells me you need to enjoy this view, since one or two small changes means you can suddenly find yourself grovelling low down over unlandable terrain wondering how it all happened.
What to do under such circumstances? For most of us in gliding, it is possibly dealing with this challenge that is part of the addiction. If you are in the proverbial shit, its best not to keep wriggling. Tell yourself to keep calm and deal with it. Focus on getting out of the shit rather than blaming yourself, or the gods, for dumping you in it. If you fail, at least you are in a better state of mind for dealing with the inevitable landing. If you get out of it, you can reasonably congratulate yourself for not losing the plot. And when you get back up to cloud base, the view is even better!
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