Tuesday, Atlanta, Georgia

I am really willing to confess that I have always been a nervous flyer. Although I rack up well over 100,000 miles a year I have never gotten comfortable flying. Whenever he give his speech it always includes a comedy routine that describes my fear. And that fear is fairly primitive… it’s the fear of crashing! The anxiety I feel with turbulence and unfamiliar noises is squarely rooted in my anticipation that we are falling out of the sky!

I make no bones about the fact that I often opt to drive to a presentation, even long distances, rather than fly. No, I’m not completely nuts. I wouldn’t drive to Los Angeles or Seattle. But if the drive is less than seven or eight hours, I’m behind the wheel. This week, for instance, I opted to drive to Atlanta, Georgia, a drive of about 8 hours, rather than enduring the discomforts of a flight from, through and into thunderstorms. I just don’t trust the judgment of the pilots, who, although extremely well trained and competent, might perhaps be willing to take risks with my life that I’m not willing to take on my own.

And then, of course, every once in a while a story hits the news that brings me no comfort. This week was a beaut! A maladjusted young flight attendant purposely set a fire in his plane’s bathroom while it was in the air! This idiot, frustrated that he was assigned to a certain route, decided to take matters into his own hands and forced the plane to land prematurely. Say what!?

Eder Rojas, who by the way, according to the news report is 19 years old, risked the lives of over 75 people because he was ticked off. First of all, how does someone get to be a working flight attendant at 19 years old? I mean, I know the airlines are screwed up these days, but are they that desperate? Rojas, who faces 20 years in prison, snuck a cigarette lighter on board and ignited the paper towels in the bathroom. Of course the alarm went off indicating a fire in the rear of the plane and the pilot made an emergency landing. I must say that if I was on that plane, and found out that the flight attendant had lit a fire in the air, I’m pretty confident I could havd organized an impromptu mob and beaten him to death with peanut bags.

So in the age of uncertainty, (and of course I know the airline safety record is nothing short of spectacular) I now must add the task of scrutinizing the emotional stability of the entire crew when I step on to my next flight. That’s just great!

When, for the love of all that is holy, will this country put together a decent railroad system? Yeah, I know they can tip over, but I’d rather take my chances rolling over on the ground then screaming head first into the ground on a plane with an irritated flight attendant.

As a practicing shrink, you’d think I’d be more well-adjusted about this matter. Well… I’m not!