AT THE RISK OF BEING HER
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“That’s not good.”
I was sitting in the right seat of a small twin-engine plane, next to the pilot. We were on our way to Portland, Oregon and had stopped for fuel in Boise, Idaho. As we took off I saw from the air the ugly blue artificial turf on the football field of Boise State University. I remember thinking, “I’m so glad God didn’t make the grass blue, and where did that whole musical genre called Bluegrass get that name?”
I also noticed the ominous dark clouds looming directly in front of us. Then a voice on the radio from a tower somewhere tracking our flight said, “I will be losing you for a while.” And then asked for some kind of information. My good friend, the pilot, said something about two souls being on board. TWO SOULS! SOULS?! I don’t like that sound of that! And then he gave the guy the phone numbers of our next of kin.
Within a few minutes, my good friend, the very good pilot said, “That’s not good.” “What?! What’s not good” flew the words from my paniked soul. I’m not sure if I said that out loud or not. “We’re picking up some ice on the wings. I’m going to take us higher hoping the air will be cold enough the ice won’t stick. Our plane isn’t pressurized and we have no oxygen on board. Keep an eye on your fingernails and let me know if they start to turn blue. We’re going to be flying pretty high.”
The strategy didn’t work. I asked, “Why not fly lower, in warmer air.?”
“The Rockie mountains are below us.” Oh yes, there’s that.
Could we turn around and go back? We would still be flying through the ice-filled clouds, just the opposite direction.
I became stuck in the moment; in that quagmire of limited understanding, of blindness, of panic.
That happens to us doesn’t it, sometimes. You know. When all we can do is wash our hands a lot, watch the Law & Order marathon and wonder what will happen if I get to the end of Netflix and Amazon Prime. Am I the only one wondering if a diet of vienna sausages and ramen noodles will impact my cholestoral levels? Is it wrong to look at the toliet paper supply in our house and remind Jesus of the loaves and fishes story?
“When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves.”
Hold on for a minute. NO, I am not comparing our current state with the one that defined Viktor Frankl’s life. Not in the least. I am merely sharing a truthful quote as a bit of perspective for myself.
Back to the icy airplane. Obviously we made it through that storm. Just as I was in the midst of promising God I would go be a missionary in a bluegrass commune or something, a voice on the radio cracked through the thin air of the cockpit saying we were on his radar, we were beyond the Rockies, and could descend to warmer air. Oh the relief when that ice begin to break off of our wings!
How had my good friend the really good pilot managed to keep from freaking out like his passenger was? He had been there before. He know it was just a matter of minutes before we crossed over the mountains and could descend from icy air and sheer panic.
Sometimes the uncertainty can be a bit paralyzing right? Unfortunatley the virus spread has been devastating for many and many more will be impacted. But maybe we can change the situation a little bit. Stay home if you can. Wash your hands. Pray hard and unselfishly.
Maybe we can change ourselves in the midst of all of this. When it passes let’s all go out to eat, a lot, to help our favorite places bounce back. Let’s be more grateful. Let’s remember this so we don’t take community for granted. I don’t know when, but at some point we will clear the mountains and descend to warmer air.
Is the movie “Pollyanna” on that new Disney+ thing?