On Flying<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you are a loyal consumed reader, then you've noticed that the posting has been sporadic of late. I'm predicting that this has caused you some distress,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thoughtlife\/2005\/08\/on-flying\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"On Flying\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you are a loyal consumed reader, then you've noticed that the posting has been sporadic of late. 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{"id":68,"date":"2005-08-17T21:35:00","date_gmt":"2005-08-17T21:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/owenstrachan.wordpress.com\/2005\/08\/17\/on-flying\/"},"modified":"2005-08-17T21:35:00","modified_gmt":"2005-08-17T21:35:00","slug":"on-flying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thoughtlife\/2005\/08\/on-flying\/","title":{"rendered":"On Flying"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"\"$ <\/a>If you are a loyal consumed<\/em> reader, then you\u2019ve noticed that the posting has been sporadic of late. I\u2019m predicting that this has caused you some distress, that you\u2019ve perhaps had to retreat to a quiet place, maybe do some breathing exercises, perhaps consume massive amounts of food that is bad for you. I understand all that; in fact, I think I\u2019ve done all of the preceding lately. I retreated to a quiet place, being Maine; consumed massive amounts of food while at home, including Mom\u2019s fabulous spaghetti and her delightful blueberry cake; and done\u2013okay, so I haven\u2019t done any breathing exercises. I could have if I wanted to, though.<\/p>\n

Actually, wait a minute. I\u2019ve flown four times in the last month. It\u2019s been a little crazy. And during those flights, I did some breathing exercises, albeit very restrained ones. I inhaled air to keep my ears from popping. So there you go. That said, I found that though these exercises brought me some measure of comfort, they did little to affect my greater reality, namely, that I was on a huge beast of burden, my life in the hands of a couple of strangers, my actions directed by their commands. That reality is a sobering one, as much so as the pre-flight safety \u201cinstructions\u201d are amusing. Why are they amusing, you ask? Because the attendants do very funny things with their hands and arms that I cannot follow. For example, I\u2019m glad the planes I flew on didn\u2019t go down, cause I certainly wasn\u2019t ready to manipulate the oxygen-provider thingy. The attendant demonstrated the needed action so quickly the naked eye didn\u2019t follow. I also enjoy the drafting of passengers to help in case the emergency exits were needed. Actual exchange between stewardess and passenger: \u201cAre you able and willing to serve if needed, sir? Yes, able and willing.\u201d Reminiscent of a commander sturdying his troops in the moment of battle, the attendant revealed her iron resolve to fulfill emergency exit protocol. Then she handed out little pretzels, and wouldn\u2019t give me a granola bar. Hmmph. Neither willing, nor able, I suppose.<\/p>\n

The last thing I\u2019ll mention about my recent flying experience relates to the landing of planes. At that moment, when the Southwest puddle-jumper bounces on the tarmac, one is reminded that the plane is not an organic entity, dispensing little pretzels and smiles at a button\u2019s pressing. Rather, the plane is a metallic animal, foreign, unpredictable, capable of killing you. Kind of like the tiger at the zoo. It looks nice, and calm, and then\u2013BOOM\u2013you\u2019re without an appendage. On planes, mortality is your constant seat companion. That\u2019s cool, cause whenever God wants me to go, I\u2019m able and willing to go. That is one pledge that I can definitely keep.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"