Monday, August 6, 2007

Sugar, we're going down swinging

My greatest fear in life is flying. It has been ever since the first plane trip I took when I was a kid. Days before a scheduled flight, I find myself dreaming of flaming crashes and twisted metal. The night before, I generally don’t sleep for fear of the dreams that I know will come. I find my fear ironic as my dad is one of those people who love a bumpy flight. “The bumpier the better,” he always says. He could never understand my fear of flying. Neither can my husband.

Prior to getting on the plane, I look for signs. Signs that will tell me if my flight will be safe or a flight that will end in tragedy. For example, yesterday, after packing my bag, I was cleaning out my purse and wallet. As I went thru a wallet that I had not used since March, I found $24 in the coin purse. Surely a sign that my flight would go well! I shared my good news with my husband, but he looked at me and shook his head. Children are another sign that I look for. The more of them, the better. A plan full of children is less likely to go down in flames. Since Lost first premiered on TV, I have never watched it, not even for a minute. I even turned the channel when a commercial for it came on. The less I know about planes crashing, the better. My imagination is wild enough without bringing Hollywood into the equation.

I have been told over the years, by loved ones no less that I am a pain to fly with. I have even been ridiculed by their laughter at my in-flight antics (yes Poop that would be you). I admit I have grabbed a strangers arm during take off. Over the years I have gotten in the habit of warning the person sitting next to me that I am afraid to fly. Bless those who have been kind enough to talk me through the flight.

When I got on my flight to Orlando this morning, I found that I was sitting next to a man with a 7 year old child. I found out that today is said boy’s 7th birthday. Another sign, right? That’s what I thought too! The problem was that this child (and his sibling across the row) seemed to be excited about flying. I certainly did not want to let on to my fear. I did not want the parents of these children to have to explain the odd behavior of the woman in 14A. Would it be possible for me to fly as if I was a mature adult? Confident in the hands of the pilots. One who deep down realizes that it was safer to hop a plane than to drive? Well, so far so good. I have about 30 minutes left of my flight. I have not once moaned, cried out, grabbed anyone’s arm or desperately clung to the front of the seat in front of me preparing for a crash landing. Hopefully my new found confidence can get me through my return flight on Friday.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am proud of you for as I say "manning up" and overcoming your fear if only for one flight. You will be back before you know it. Can't wait to hear what happened with your camera situation. Oh yeah, sorry for ridiculing you, but isn't that what sisters are for?

Anonymous said...

Yes, I would expect nothing less from you. I think you might be the only one reading my blog. Thanks for the support. I am not giving up!!!

CBM

Anonymous said...

I tell my flight numbers to someone to see if it sounds like it would flow well when the news person reads about it. If it doesn't flow well then I feel safe. There is no way a plane would go down if it doesn't make for a good story. It is more of a superstition than anything. Good luck!

Big Momma said...

Nice tip. My return flight is 1223. Sounds safe, I think because it is prime!