High Flight
It was her husbands first time scheduling an Uber driver. He had not been aware that when an Uber driver accepts a request for a ride, that the ride is confirmed. Her husband expected a phone call. So when the phone call did not happen, he called a cab to come get them.
It was four am, and outside in the dark, the cab had not arrived but the phone was suddenly ringing. The caller was the uber driver, confused when her husband asked why he had not called earlier. “Do not come, We got a cab” he stated, and apologized saying he had not used Uber before.
Filly dragged her suitcase to the back door with one arm. Her other shoulder and arm were radiating pain from doing reverse snow angels in her fitness workout the day before. Apparently she had gotten too ambitious and had hurt herself. Great. Just great.
She found her bible verse for the day and counted on prayer to get her through the uncomfortable pain in her shoulder blade. Her husband said he would carry her luggage. He was being very helpful.
Filly had packed a large suitcase full of girl plaid pleated skirts and tights and black long sleeve shirts that were matching, for the cousins to all wear. She had packed birthday presents for one and craft items for another and books for another. There were also warm clothes for two others whose parents were not checking a bag and did not have room for coats etc.
Then she had her carry on and her “coat of many colors” purse. It was a large cloth bag with vibrant jewel colored pieces of fabric sewn on top of the bag in layers. It was a perfect “personal item”. Filly loved the implication…what was taken in one story, would not be taken in another story.
She packed the salad in a Tupperware with tape, hoping it would not leak because it was a cabbage and seed salad with bacon. She also packed cheese sticks and two lunchables with ham and cheese and crackers and cookies. The salad, for her, the lunchables for her husband.
She had a small sparkly purse inside the purse for another child, along with a jeweled box. It would be a hit for sure for the little girl.
The uber driver was outside right on time, in spite of her husband telling him not to come. The cab was no where in sight. So then he called the cab and cancelled that ride, apologized again, and they got into the uber car, a little mini van type car. The patient driver, was a friendly man who apparently worked at the airport in his full time job and provided uber rides to the airport in the early morning when he got off work. He was patient and methodical and careful and polite. Filly liked him.
But her husband, who was worried about getting to the airport on time started telling the Uber driver shortcuts to take “that would get the car there faster”, adding a bit of intensity to the drive. He kept talking about how the “traffic was building” and how “he did not want to be late”. Filly did not like stressed and fast driving. She was glad the driver seemed immune to her husband’s comments. “We do not know if we are at Terminal A or Terminal D” her husband continued. “The location changes randomly and can change even when printed on the tickets.” “It is usually at A” said the uber driver.
When they got to the airport and got dropped off her husband gave the driver a few dollars. Was tipping expected? Frowned on? They did not know. Then Filly’s husband unloaded the bags and took two bags and his carry on and Filly took her purse of many colors. They went inside and saw that indeed, the gate had been switched from A to D, on the opposite side of the airport. They would have to hurry.
They went to the Frontier counter …no one was in line at the counter attended by three Frontier employees, so her husband went straight up to the front. The flight was at five thirty am. “We cannot check your bag” the one agent said. “You are too late”.
“Wait what”? her husband said. Uh Oh, Filly thought, and went over to a chair and sat down with her purse of many colors. She waited. After a few minutes her husband came up and said “We might as well call the uber driver and go back home”. “We cannot go without the bag and if your shoulder is hurting maybe we should just stay home.” “We are never flying Frontier again”.
Filly asked him if perhaps they could check their bag at the gate…and they started to go through the long line in security before realizing that then getting to the D gate would put them on the brink of being late again. They got back out of line. Filly sat down again in the chair and took her phone out of her purse of many colors and started typing in flight inquiries. Her husband went back to the counter to try to get a refund. Instead they got a credit.
Within moments she had found a one way flight, but it was triple the cost, because it was last minute. It was with Alaska Airlines, and unlike the other flights which left after three pm, which would have meant sitting at the airport all day, this flight left at seven am. “Should we” Filly asked? They did.
They booked it and went to the counter to finally check the bag.
The lady was gracious and helpful and the big bag was extra cost, but only thirty five dollars. Filly’s husband’s TSA number had expired and so he had renewed it, but the TSA number was failing to show up on the ticket, which also had his first name printed twice. The agent fixed the name on the ticket and tried to fix the TSA problem.
Then they had to go through separate security, Filly going one way and her husband went another.
Filly was amazed at how some people who traveled had everything neat, matching and lightweight like the lady in line in front of her with the immaculate white perfectly fitted sweater, nice jeans, cute little fuzzy purse, warm extra sweater, and a small shopping bag with a food item for lunch.
No cumbersome luggage, no bedraggled coats, neck pillows or tattered blankets. Just classy and well put together. Filly sighed, she tried but she always had too much stuff in her personal item, always last minute things like vitamins and snacks and extra shoes that would not fit in the luggage. Must come from having to cover for five kids.
Filly had quickly purchased some trash magazines to read on the flight while waiting after she got through . She added that to her stack of unruly items.
Then her husband joined her and said he was really hungry so she gave him the two lunchables. He was really happy to see she had brought snacks. They discovered that they would be seated in different parts of the plane. Oh well at least they would not be waiting all day.
When they boarded, Filly was in row six. But she noticed that it was right behind the first class section and that her seat, in the middle did not have a seat pocket in front of it because it lined up in the middle of the two first class seats. Also she noticed that the plane skipped rows four and five. It went, one two three, six.
Alaska airlines had her six. She laughed to herself. Way cool.
Filly was hungry too but also a bit nauseous. Getting up that early was not fun and the shoulder pain was getting more intense, contributing to the yuckiness. Her husband was not beside her to rub her neck and the seat she had was between two men, way away from where her husband was sitting.
She thought eating would distract her from the pain but she did not want to start off opening the cabbage filled Tupperware as it would have a strong smell and it would be impossible to eat it fast so the cabbage smell would waft. So she sat and felt a bit miserable. She had gotten two Tylenol in case she needed them but had not yet taken any.
She had gotten a magazine about Trump, but then realized that on this plane to Seattle, the passengers might not all be Trump fans so she did not feel like being conspicuously oppositional (even though she did not know for sure) so she read the magazines about King Charles and his questionable investments and about another person and their sex scandal. Nothing memorable. She offered the magazines to the male flight attendant, and he promptly threw them away. Thirty eight dollars wasted.
When she thought about the article, regarding things and accusations, If the “little people” who were being affected, and their circumstances were protected, then Filly was happy, but most of the “scandals” seemed orchestrated to smear good people dishonestly. Anyone can make accusations, including false accusations, and those who continue to do that, would face their own consequences. Filly decided to stop buying the trash magazines, about that time, the same way she had decided to stop watching mainstream news. She got her news now from X.
The rows one, two and three, in front of her, started to warm up with smells of breakfast and coffee. The steward of the first class section, pulled the mesh screen, and started politely serving…Filly could see trays with real silverware and cloth napkins and grapes and rolls and other deliciousness. Her stomach growled.
The other stewardess came walking towards Filly, and she leaned forward expectantly but the stewardess kept on going to the very back of the long plane while she was right near the front. Ok then.
Time to start reading the Trump magazine. The print was smaller and Filly needed a light but the button for the light did not seem to work. She pushed it and nothing happened. Then she worried maybe it was the stewardess button. She tried to aim the neighbors light towards her. He was asleep so he would not mind.
She read for a while but it was hard to see with all the lights in the cabin off and her light not working. She decided since the cabin already had breakfast smells it would finally be ok to eat her salad. So she leaned over and got it out of her purse of many colors.
She carefully peeled off the tape and then got the disposable fork she had brought. She immediately realized she should have brought a spoon as the first big bite she got for herself landed on her new thrift store purchased yellow and white tweed jacket. Right on the Lapel.
Dang it.
She had no napkin and now she had to use her fingers to pluck bits of cabbage and salad dressing off her coat. There was no place to throw it away so she had to eat the salad mixed with the fuzz from her jacket lol. And lick her fingers. This was getting messy. She laughed to herself thinking of the Robert Burns quote “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”. There were chunks of that dang salad all over her jacket front, she would have to get it dry cleaned.
Her magazine fell on the floor. She could not reach it without straining her already throbbing shoulder. So she left it there, and hurriedly ate the salad, holding the container under her mouth for each bite so no more would fall on the jacket.
When the stewardess came, it was close to an hour later, when she finally reached the front of the plane to serve the people who had not ordered their meal online, Filly discovered that drinks and coffee were free, and the lady returned her charge card to her.
Filly ordered a coffee because she was usually cold on the plane. The man who the right of her, ordered an “Irish coffee” and the stewardess returned and asked Filly if she wanted the same because it was complimentary. Filly said yes.
When the coffee came, it was accompanied by a small bottle. “Is this alcoholic” Filly asked the man? “Yes” he said “it is like Baileys Irish cream and it is delicious”.
“Oh” said Filly, you can have mine. She gave him her bottle and accidentally knocked the biscotti onto the floor beside the magazine already on the floor. Now there were two things that she could not reach.
The biscotti would really taste good after the cabbage slaw salad, so Filly wanted to get it. She maneuvered her feet to both sides of the biscotti and managed to make it stand up so she could reach it with the tips of her fingers. SCORE. Time to eat the cookie.
She also had taken one Tylenol but did not notice any significant pain relief. The guy to the right was looking at his lap top watching the progress of the plane on the screen. The guy on the left was watching a movie on his phone with headphones. He was medium tall and in fit shape with a thirty something face but almost grey white hair cut short like Tom Cruise.
At some point he turned towards her and said that this plane was not one of the better planes and Filly told him this was her first time on this airlines and he explained that usually the planes were brand new. They started talking casually without formally introducing themselves.
The guy worked for a medical health care company and lived in Seattle. He said that he had been in Houston four days and was on his way home. He said that he had lived in Philadelphia but his parents had retired to Florida so he lived in several other places including Colorado. He loved the hot springs at the “hippie places” near Salida in the mountains.
Somehow that conversation sparked things people did in college and he said that he went one time to a “dinner and death” event with a bunch of other people.
(WTF?) Filly thought to herself but smiled and said nothing.
“We had dinner and we sat there long enough to get comfortable with death because you know life ends and is not forever” he said.
SO THAT is why people are so divided Filly thought. The ones who “choose life” like the bible says, believe in God. The ones who do “death dinners” do not believe. Interesting. John 6:47
“Truly I tell you the one who believes has eternal life”.
Filly believed.
She responded to the death dinner concept with a similar story… “Well, my daughter said that her in-laws, on new years eve, sat around discussing how important it was for people who were old and ill, to be able to “check out” so to speak, whenever they wanted. And that the event should be carefully planned and carried out. But this was on New Years eve, when most people were making resolutions to improve on life, and her daughter thought it was an awful way to start the new year.
She refused to participate and said that her family did not do that, they chose life.
Filly explained to the guy that her own mom was ninety three, and she still walked ten thousand steps, and she still did meals and treats for friends who were sick or disabled. She volunteered at church and at the Republican party and she did her own shopping, driving and emails. She lived alone and had a beautifully maintained courtyard house and garden. She was completely independent.
Filly said that the idea of paying attention to death was not how her mom or any of her family had lived their life to arrive at this stage of health and success. Death was not the focus but rather paying attention to life, and how to be of service to others. She said that paying attention to death was like living in a dark room.
As an analogy Filly thought that if a person was given only one chocolate (Filly was thinking of the tin of Godiva chocolate pearls she had bought at the airport for her daughter)and BELIEVED that was all the chocolate they would ever get, how would they view that chocolate? They would have to have dinners where they would get comfortable with the idea of never eating any more chocolate.
Would that belief negatively affect their attitude during their daily events? Once that chocolate was gone, would it be time to call it quits? But if the person getting only one chocolate, was told that there was infinitely more chocolate, would they live their life differently, from a place of gratitude and plenty, instead of from a place of scarcity and finality of bad or limiting events.
Filly happened to know that chocolate was abundant and even if she had not seen the chocolate she knew it made sense that something good was not limited. Only bad things were limited. And there was a promise of it’s delivery and It made sense to believe.
The man talked about his mother in law whom he said had been in a care facility for twenty three years. He said that she had not been aware and that her life was basically nonexistent for those years. He thought that checking out was more “dignified”. But Filly thought that there was beauty in dependency that was met with humility and kindness.
She thought about babies, and how in the first many years of their lives, they were also very dependent and not very helpful. Caring for those who needed care, provided an opportunity (a valuable opportunity Filly thought), to do good. It was not part of God’s plan to eliminate opportunities for others to be of service. The bible does in fact say to choose life. No one she knew thought that babies should be eliminated because they were extremely dependent.
Filly looked and thought gentle thoughts of the man. It must be frightening to believe that this life was it, and that death was final. She did not believe that and she was joyous. It reminded her of her dad’s favorite poem, that had to do with planes and flying, called High flight.
“Oh I have slipped the surly bonds of earth and danced the skies on laughter silvered wings.”
The belief of Death was what made earth “surly”.
surly
adjective
Sullenly ill-humored; gruff. Threatening, as of weather conditions; ominous.
“surly clouds filled the sky.”
Arrogant; domineering.
To believe in the finality of something bad would indeed make someone ill humored, or arrogant. They might try to say that this was a dignified way to handle a bad but certain event. Filly believed differently. She had proof that life was indeed permanent, and had the life of Jesus to prove it.
It would be a mistake to take anything but the path of “high flight”. They continued talking for the rest of the flight about children and innocence and their beauty. This made Filly happy because both of them shared the love of little ones. They landed with an awesome view of Seattle and Filly felt like they had indeed “slipped the surly bonds of earth”.