High Anxiety

I'm getting on a plane tomorrow. This is a very normal thing for many people, but to me it takes some self-conquering. By that, I mean, if I allowed myself to be a slave to my anxieties I would never, never, get on an airplane. Never. But I fly all the time because I am able to rationalize my way into the cabin.

If you are freaked out by flying here's a couple of things that make me feel better:

A planes wings can safely bend something like 15 feet in either direction.

Flying is all physics. It works. Crashes are mostly due to human error and in 99 percent of cases, there were seven consecutive human errors that lead to disaster.

It's a lesson in control, or lackthereof. Driving a car, walking around on the ground, these things give me the illusion of control. Without sounding overly dramatic, life is by definition out of my control and can be taken from me at any moment no matter what I do. Sure, there are certain laws and principles of living that increase my chances of staying alive. Never getting in car would increase my chances of living far greater than never getting in an airplane.

So flying in a plane is actually a freeing experience because it allows me to acknowledge the fact that I'm not in control and let go.

I am always a happier person when I let go.

If none of these things work tomorrow, Heather is under strict orders to heavily medicate me.