the sky was the limit

i used to be an air traffic controller. that was back in the days when there were no female controllers. most of the guys who worked there had been against women being brought into the ranks, figuring any female who tried to get in was either (1) really ugly, (2) a slut going to a lot of trouble looking for a good time, or (3) one o' them radical feminists looking to cause trouble. their theories did not leave room for the idea of a pretty, pleasant, and intelligent woman who wanted a challenging job and thought she was capable of handling the responsibility.

yes, i had to listen to a lot of rough jokes; yes, i had tricks played on me; yes, i had to do things better than a guy just starting out; yes, i was up against guys who tried to get me washed out; yes, i had to ignore sexual harrassment. but i liked the job and did pretty well at it.

eventually i could call most of the guys my friends, although in the loosest possible sense. they didn't want their wives to think they talked to me, and none of us became pals.

my future husband and i didn't work on the same side of the schedule and i really didn't even know who he was until he asked me out after he and his wife had split up and were working out divorce details.

yes, guys do gossip; yes, some guys go out on their wives without ever getting caught; yes, some guys talk big until their wives are present. some guys are extremely crude; some guys are very sensitive; some guys physically abuse their wives; some guys are hen-pecked; some guys are gentle.

it was an interesting period of my life and i will share stories as i think of them.