Flying down to Phoenix

Judy's problem is that she is claustrophobic. Her first attempt to get on a plane was cancelled when upon boarding she saw all of the passengers on the plane staring at her like so many sardines in a can. To combat this, I requested an early boarding pass so we could get on an empty plane. Normally, early boarding passes are reserved for the elderly, parents with infants and the physically handicapped.

So Judy and I are standing in the line for the early boarding line with people in wheel chairs. I could detect the simmering resentment of the other passengers staring at us probably wondering why those two perfectly healthy people are getting on ahead of them. Nevertheless, it worked and she handled the flight well but she was nervous on landing when the plane started to bounce around the sky.

I am grateful that I don't have a fear of flying and I have sympathy for those who do. Who knows why people are afraid of some things? Myself, the only overt fear that I am aware of is the fear of snakes. Spiders, heights, bridges, elevators do not bother me.

I know that when I was younger I would become fearful more easily. Things would bother me much easier and I would worry about things more. As I grew older, I became less fearful of things. It may be part of the maturation process. However, I have my own theory on that. Whenever I encounter something that has the potential to upset me or make me fearful, I say to myself, "What could be worse than this," and the obvious answer is "I could be dead". This simple thought process usually snaps me out of my doldrums. After watching loved ones suffer and die, I believe one develops an ability to endure suffering, hardships, and even fears more easily.

We got together with over 20 former Minonk residents for a reunion of sorts. Martha Owens did a superb job of planning and organizing the reunion. We visited local attractions as a group and then dined together each noon and evening. Strangely, though, the best meal Judy and I had was at the Mayor Clinic cafeteria. We had gone there to visit a friend and had a gourmet lunch of chicken on a bed of spinach spinach with artichokesand asparagus covered with a cheese sauce, coffee and an apple dumpling for only $5. Its probably the best kept secret in Phoenix.

It was good seeing friends that I haven't seen in 40 years. We talked of our successes and our hardships. One of the more outstanding successes I learned was from my classmate Tom Ford who recently retired from Motorola. Tom actually developed equipment that was put on the moon during the space shots of 30 years ago. And the equipment is still there.