On Airplanes

Some of my family members flew to the east coast today...on different planes...to different cities...at different times...It was a strange coincidence that...through no coordinated effort...this day had been chosen for them...out of all the other days available...to fly to their separate...yet close...destinations. Since these are the people that I spend a great deal of my...people... time with...it’s a little strange to have them gone...and be thousands of miles away... at the same time.... but...I plan to take advantage...and make good use of...the given hours...of solitude....
Whenever a family member takes a plane...it brings forth to me a lot of feelings and thoughts. I seldom have to fly anywhere...anymore...having taken my share of planes to far off places in my younger days...but remember that sinking feeling when the cabin door was shut...leaving me...trapped...to endure...whatever fate...had in store...on that particular journeying... I soon learned that I didn’t like this outlook and feeling...so worked on the notion of just accepting whatever the consequences of that particular choice...of travel...and on taking the... trapped... feeling out of the experience. I mean...people fly every second of each day...but one does have to be a little bit...crazy...anyway...to step into that huge... heavy... machine... and let some unknown...and unseen... persons... propel one... strapped in...through space distance and time...at ridiculous speeds...to a completely... and sometimes drastically...different space and environment....at which point one is left to mentally and physically adjust to the rapid... confusion... imparted on our bodies...otherwise known as jet...and mind... lag.......................so why worry about it....................
When I see a jet...jet...by...wayway up in sky... my mind often does an x-ray... and images the people sitting... sleeping... conversing..inside that seemingly tiny metal speck...going to or from loved ones...or no one...the journey being joyous... heartbreaking...or of no mind and just a habitual way to commute. The sight has also made me think...more than once...of Indians of the dense Amazon...and of other only recently de-isolated lands...as they must have first looked upon this... shiny ... loud ... mystery ... flying so high in their skies...leaving trails of clouds in its wake.......could they have imagined that people existed on earth who had created such a thing...and that their worlds would one day be invaded...and abruptly and violently turned upside down.........?
But.....impact...or the clash...will..perhaps... be the subject... of another posting...........for now.....I’m just...thankful...again...that my relatives’ feet are landed safely once more upon mother earth...............