I write these screeds for practice, writing is a muscle, so below, I’m merely working out with that muscle.
I think this is about a 3 or 4 minute read. I entitled this one, An old lady on a plane.
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An old lady on a plane
Perhaps it’s the annual seasonal change as the earth orbits the sun, the springtime renewal with the Christian traditions this weekend recounting the moment we take pause to remember that Jesus got back-up, and defied death.
If Jesus doesn’t get back up off the mat (excuse the boxing reference) – what’s the point?
Better put, without hope – we have nothing – hope is a forward thinking concept. If you get knocked down, simply, get back up.
After all, what was left in Pandora’s Box?
As my business colleagues will attest, I have an almost supernatural ability to get the front seat on most Southwest Airline flights.
And it’s not just because of my A status, it’s because I typically only have a small carry on bag, and I don’t mind sitting next to people that needed assistance to board the plane.
I have watched with glee as the other passengers move past them, and yes, they are what might be described as infirm – really old, or otherwise physically defective.
In truth, I find them interesting. And I get mildly claustrophobic – so being up front helps me manage, me.
Perhaps it’s my introverted nature, but if I don’t think someone interesting, I’ll not make an investment with my time. I’m comfortable being quiet for hours at a time – just ask my ex-wife.
(Unless forced – as in sitting next to chatty-Patty from the Midwest with her classic haircut and pictures of her Hurd, or Mr. Important – blah, blah, blah, we sell rubberized stuff and I’m really rich.)
Well, on a flight to Chicago I sat in the front seat near an old lady.
She was seated next to the window, and what I thought interesting about her was that she was completely bundled up in her winter coat with a cotton scull cap. And, it was about 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside at Tampa International Airport.
After I had sat down and the other passengers were passing by me deeper into the cabin, she turned to look over at me.
She had a pretty smile, and I suspected in her prime she had been Halle Berry like attractive, and likely had caused mortal men to go weak in the knees.
She was a pretty lady.
I suspected she was a lot older than I’d have guessed. But then, I know what that feels like.
We had idle chit-chat and then she told me she had been visiting Tampa for sister’s celebration of life service. I nodded. She asked me questions about me. I told her the truth.
After the plane took off into the cloudy sky, I had adjusted the air vent nozzle above her. She grinned and thanked me. And then the old lady feel asleep. She appeared at peace.
But the flight to Chicago was violent.
The first tip-off that the flight might get bumpy – the flight attendants remain seated.
The plane took off from Tampa, and they didn’t get unstrapped from their jump seats until the plane had navigated past Louisville.
Along the journey, I was certain at any moment the plane’s wings were about to snap off, and then the fuselage would javelin us into a corn field.
But each time I glanced over at the old lady, she remained deep asleep.
After we mercifully landed, she awoke and smiled over at me. She wished me well. I touched her arm as I stood up to get my bag, and I wished her all the best.
I liked her.
Her brown eyes had a hopeful gaze. I hope I get to be really old with a hopeful gaze like her’s.
As I walked inside Midway International Airport, feeling cold, I thought it was a funny thing what you remember at odd times.
I had had a friend ask me about my novels.
He was curious what was my favorite book. They are all my favorites.
But, for some strange reason after thinking about the old lady, I remembered a few paragraphs from the ending of my 2nd novel, Fishing for Light.
When I’m asked what that novel was about, I tell them all sorts of excuses. DNA this person, DNA from that person, etc. – but, what the book was really about deals with seeking the existence of God.
I had wondered, well, if God is, God is the light of the world – where would one go to find that light?
I made the story a satire as the subject matter was rather serious.
Like my new friend, the old lady, I wanted my character Edward to have a hopeful view at the stories end.
I’ll not express what happened, but let’s say Edward had a run-in with Ms. Prosperina, and Professor Quan protected him.
I’ll let anyone that reads this section to tell me if I got it right, but these are the last 3 paragraphs from Fishing for Light:
“Edward awoke with a feather pillow under his head. A multi-colored blanket draped across his mortal shell. Gazing up, he realized he was in Ardee’s bedroom. And it was as if he was watching a movie, as her smooth plaster ceiling blazed with an endless kaleidoscope of shiny stars and distant planets. The vast celestial radiance beckoned him to float from the soft bed and into the colorful DNA pattern of deep space and glide beyond infinity at the speed of light. He reached his hand toward the intense light, he blinked his eyes and adjusted to the hazy gloom. He wobbled up, as if standing within deep space, as if immersed within a gyrating Milky Way particle shower from the moon’s reflected light off the sun. A foggy perception reverberated within his consciousness that he had been out that night, but he was not drunk from wine, nor did he remember being at any particular place, at any particular time, for any particular reason, he simply knew he existed.
Lost in a cosmic sea, Edward sensed the Iris Nebula watched him from afar, attracting him with powerful magnetic currents to seek unknown destinations. To swim within a tidal wave crashing against and endless sandy shore, as if his foamy bare essence was naked to a blue moon.
Later, dawn began to emerge above the visible horizon. Golden sun light beams began to overcome the dark night. Edward listened to the stillness, he sensed his lungs fill with oxygen, the thump of his heartbeat. Unique ideas, perceptions, and wonderful new inventions cycled through his mind. Careful not to disturb Ardee, he attempted to walk off his electrified brain illuminating a constant waterfall of a generations hopes and dreams.”
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If you are my friend, I can only wish that you have love in your heart, and a hopeful view.
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