fear, no TERROR of flying

So, as many of you know, I am TERRIFIED to fly. I haven’t always been this way but perhaps it’s because I’m a single mother…I worry about Bella if something happened to me. Not that she doesn’t have a dad, grandma and aunties. Well, maybe that’s WHY I’m worried. Or maybe its because there’s been no less than 6 major crashes, YES SIX, this year. The most recent 3 unresolved.

At any rate, my anxiety is so high, that it starts the night before with thoughts like, “maybe this time is the last time I am going to be sleeping in my bed” and “I really should have a will” (Not like there’s $ millions to inherit or anything). So many of my friends have suggested multiple types of tranquilizers but that just doesn’t work for me ’cause if there IS an emergency, I want to be able to move leave my seat and slide down the escape hatch (should there be that chance). And, of course, there is the fact that most of the times I travel on business, so a little tiny blue pill might just affect my abilities. Or maybe not.

Anyway, I made it to Chicago, again, and after kissing the ground, had a fairly productive day, if you include the fact that I found Millennium Park, right outside my hotel! With pretty amazing things like, the BEAN. Here it is:

and here

And here’s me…I am on the right. Mind you these are all just REFLECTIONS. An optical illusion.

There’s also this amazing fountain, with film imagery projected on the screen.

But, back to flying. So Tuesday I had to FLY back home so I called my mom and told her I’d call as soon as I landed in order to convince myself that I WOULD be landing. But first, I found the first honest cab company in the world which has this sign about their Kiosks in the airport. And I thought here’s advertising at it’s finest hour. (NOTE THE MALFUNCTION COMMENT!)

So we take off and as soon as legal, I plug my earphones in and start listening to In the Arms of an Angel. Not good. And then I start counting…only 90 minutes until touch down, 60, 45. Yes, I know you are thinking that I seriously need serious drugs. Believe it or not, Manhattan is soonwithin view and I’m like I’m ALMOST down. But then, the unthinkable happens and we hit turbulence. Not too bad, mind you, but to me it’s like, “We’re going into the Hudson (but it’s really the East River) and I’m wishing Sully was flying the plane, but we’re really OK and I open my eyes and see that the flight attendants are still walking around calmly as though it’s a yacht we’re on in the glassy bay, not 15,000 feet up in some bumpy clouds and I see something really quite beautiful. So I illegal whip out the only camera I have (my BB) and take this:

But moments later, I see something infinitely more beautiful which is this:

And I thank the Lord and God Bless America for La Guardia runways. Now, on to Bella.