People and Places has to be the answer...the true reward sure seems to be internal.
The appreciation shown by a smile, a Thumbs Up gesture, a Thank You visit by an EMS patient, and the pure enjoyment of some of the sights. Sunrise over the North Sea as you pop up through the Fog, Sunset over the Grand Canyon, the Mountains of Alaska in the Winter, the desert of Iran, the calling to prayers in Muslim countries, large formations of helicopters. People you meet at Air Shows who come to view your aircraft. The warmth of friendship given and received over the years by those one shares time with.
Recounting your experiences....both good and bad....with friends who know exactly what you are talking about as a result of their similar life experiences. Think of those moments over a cup or can when talk was genuine and from the heart, the gift of friendship over the years that lasts a life time. If wealth is measured by the number and quality of friends one has accumulated in life, then I am rich beyond my wildest dreams.
Some of us have spent much of our life beyond the end of the pavement and are lucky enough to have seen places and people most folks only read about.
Heck, I even got to meet Ned. What else could one want out of this life?
Merry Christmas Ned and to all Rotorheads out there!
