THE PILOTINA TEDDY BEAR
And then it happened.
I was turning to go downwind when Amelia, the teddy bear, almost flew out of the plane due to the strong crosswind. I saw it just in time and reached out, grabbed her, and quickly stuck her between my back and the seat, squished but safe.
At that moment, I didn’t realize I’d let go of the power of the plane, and had elevated the airplane a couple of hundred feet above the pattern of the airport. I had to calm down. This was my first solo, and now I was nervous. Everyone was watching me. The tower was watching me because they knew that I was a student. I was nervous, and I called the tower back to tell them I needed to extend my downwind because I was too high.
The controller gave me a little bit of pressure because three other planes were waiting to land right before me and said, “Don’t take a long time.” That landing was one of the worst in my 400 landings.It was very bumpy–just horrible–and I thought I would stop somewhere off the runway. I was so scared. I had tears running down my cheeks and talked to the tower in a broken voice.At the same time, I thought of my family and what they might be thinking. I had to decide–to make one of the most important decisions. Do I want to do this? Do I want to fly planes, or do I want to give up right now?
A moment later, I took a deep breath, straightened up in my seat, and knew that I had what it takes to be a pilot. Even more, I wanted to be a pilot. So, I decided to take off again, this time with more mature confidence. I was humbly confident, and Amelia was right there where I put her, the bravest teddy bear you’ll ever meet.
A Successful Landing
I landed, and I remember it was just such a fantastic feeling. My instructor was telling me, “You did it, Jackie! I’m so proud of you. I knew you could do it.”
My kids, my husband, and my friend were all hugging me. Lynn had brought me some flowers, and then the instructor proceeded to cut the back of my shirt to symbolize getting my wings. That was a beautiful moment, but I did wish I’d chosen a different shirt that day.
The Start of #Pilotina
It was amongst all that excitement and energy when I felt something, what I call a “divine download,” to my heart. I knew I needed to replicate my little teddy bear to give to people all over the world. I didn’t have travel plans—yet—but I knew that I was going to.
It wasn’t long before we had created a little Teddy bear with a logo that my husband designed for #Pilotina, the word that I made up, which is pilot plus (+) Latina. So, everything started merging, and I think that’s when you know that you’re living your purpose. When I ordered my first hundred teddy bears, my husband was like, “what the is this? What are you going to do with 100 teddy bears?” I explained that I had to do this. I would figure it out. I didn’t know who they would be given to yet, but I knew it would be impactful. I don’t even remember who I gave the first hundred to, but it was like sparkling magic everywhere. And then the second box arrived, and by the fifth or sixth box of 100 teddy bears, he said, “I give up. I surrender; you win.”
To date, I have given away 1650 teddy bears all over the world. I have given them to kids at the airport, to the elderly, to authors, to graduates of the Fig Factor Foundation, to children with cancer, and more. It is amazing and magical what you can do with a little teddy bear waiting to be put into someone’s hands and held tight. They have touched the lives and hearts of many people.
Live With Intention
I think when you live with intention and a magical approach, it’s as Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though life is ordinary. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
So, I live my life trying to share those miracles that are happening every single day, measured by #micromoments. I can be very pragmatic as a CEO to land on things. I have to look at the cockpit to see if the oil pressure is there and all that, but I could also be very whimsical. I think the point where both of these worlds intercept–the pragmatic and the whimsical world, and that’s where a lot of brilliance and magix lie.
You are holding a very special teddy bear: The PILOTINA Teddy Bear!
This small, but mighty companion is a replica of the teddy bear that has accompanied Jacqueline Ruiz, sports pilot, to every single flight.
Now you are part of the special group of people that has received one of the 2,050 teddy bears shared all over the world.
Remember that “Taking off is optional, landing on your dreams is mandatory”
-Pilotina
