Joe travels for work every once in a while.
And despite the fact that I hate when he’s gone, his traveling for work does have its perks sometimes.
Because every so often, I get to go visit him, and we make a pretty amazing trip out of it.
One really cool place that we got to go to was Gettysburg, where we were able to take a tour of the historic battlefield.
It’s funny, I remember one particular story they told on that tour about a house that had been shot at during the Civil War.
There was a bullet hole on one of the doors to the house, and legend had it that if you stuck your left ring finger through it, you’d get married right away.
Joe and I had only been dating for a year or so back then, so I remembered the awkwardness of not having a response when the tour guide asked me if I wanted to put my finger through the door.
Crickets…crickets….
Funny how things happen, though. Here we are 3 months until the wedding 🙂
But anyway, this past week, I got the chance to visit him in Ft. Walton.
I had never driven myself to the airport and actually left my car parked there, so this was an official adult/big-girl adventure for me.
Even though I totally got lost in the parking garage at MIA, I somehow found my way to my gate, and waited for my flight to arrive.
We boarded the plane, and like clockwork, I instantly felt like I couldn’t breathe.
See, I have a terrible fear of heights, and therefore, being up in the air tens and hundreds of thousands of feet is something that makes me wanna cry.
So after about 100 times of opening and closing the window next to me, I finally decided to leave it open.
I prepared myself and told myself that I really needed to get over this fear.
Then I said 10 Hail Marys.
I figured since the 3 year old behind me wasn’t crying, I really needed to get my act together.
Takeoff is the worst part…the feeling right when the plane’s wheels are no longer touching the ground.
I hold onto the seat handles, close my eyes, and pretend I’m somewhere else.
To avoid total freakout mode, I listen to music. Particularly, 80s music, for some very strange weird reason.
That’s how it goes, every single time for me.
But something different happened this time.
This time, I was immersed in deep thought.
I came to the conclusion that totally freaking out would not at all affect the chances of the plane crashing!
At that moment, it was something that was completely out of my control.
So I really needed to stop worrying.
And then I thought about all the other things we tend to worry about and realized that:
a. I spend half my life worrying about things that never actually happen
and b. the things that DO happen, I more often than not, can’t control.
Like, people worrying about getting cancer, for example.
Sure, we all know by now that if you’re a smoker, you’re increasing the likelihood of getting lung cancer.
But you know what?
Even non-smokers get lung cancer.
Some things in this life we’ll never understand, and we certainly can’t control them.
So you know what else?
I’m going to live my life.
And I’m going to experience things and I’m going to travel.
Yes, bad things happening may be inevitable at some point or another, but I’m not going to limit my adventures because of those things.
You know, I read somewhere that assuming the average person lives around 70 years, if you’re 30 years old now, you have about 2,000 weekends left in your life.
I read that, and then I locked myself in my room and cried.
What the heck!!?!?!??!
That’s it?!??
Well, if that’s all I’ve got (+ a few more since I’m not quite 30) then I need more adventure in my life, starting now.
Sor for those of you afraid to fly, you need to get over that.
Right.
Now.
Have a drink at the airport…
Have THREE drinks at the airport…
Take Benadryl on the plane.
Figure out what works for you, and do it.
Because there’s so much to see in this world and apparently, not enough time to see it all.
So don’t let fear rob you of amazing experiences.
Besides, I took these photos on the plane, and how freaking beautiful are they?
You deserve to see that.
So here’s to adventure!
Tons of adventure!
Crazy and beautiful adventure…
Whatever that adventure may be.
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Those pictures are awesome. Good for you for getting over your fear! I never used to be afraid to fly but I’ll admit with the media today and hearing all of these horror stories about Malyasia, etc. it makes me a little bit more nervous!
Beautiful photos! Great points too – it is so important (yet hard) to learn to stop worrying about things that are completely outside of your control.
My mom has this fear. Hers is so bad, I flew with her once and vowed to never do it again (and I haven’t). On take-off, she grips all the nearest wrists of the people near her, sings hymns OUT LOUD, prays out loud, and asks LOUDLY why the wheels haven’t left the ground. Poor woman! She’s learned that having a little Screwdriver helps ease her nerves (haha!). Nevertheless, it’s been MANY years since she tried flying. Maybe I should send her this post – you have a very smart outlook on it and it does far better to focus on the present than worry about the future.
Visiting from Authentic Bloggers
Love the photos! I’m not entirely afraid of flying but I certainly have opted for driving the past 10 years, but I’m so glad you got over your fear! It’s tough to fly for me, but I can do it, I’ve chosen to not to do so.
liz @ sundays with sophie
You are SO right! You can’t let your fears control you!! Bad things can happen anywhere at anytime, but so can GOOD things, wonderful things! Like you taking these fabulous pictures in a plane thousands of miles off the ground;-) Keep traveling and enjoying everyone of your weekends left on this great BIG beautiful world we all share!! I was actually born in Ft. Walton Beach…Gulfcoast has some off the most beautiful beaches ever! Anyway, thanks for posting:-)
I have not flown in about a decade, not out of fear, just haven’t needed to fly anywhere. I get nervous at take-off but once we are in the air I feel like it is smooth sailing. My husband occasionally travels for work and that is what makes me nervous and I always anxiously await his, I made it to my destination call. We are planning a trip to WA in a year and we plan to take the train just for fun, also my son loves trains and I have a feeling that isn’t changing anytime soon.
I get SUPER nervous during take off and landing, but in between I’m usually fine. I agree, it’s so worth getting over this fear because travel is too good to miss!
Yes, it is a good idea to get over fear of flying. But three drinks and a Benadryl will not do it. As to figuring out what works for you, you may spend years on that quest unless you get truly expert advice. I say “truly” because the web is filled with experts who – though they MAY mean well – are clueless. That even applies to some mental health professionals. Why? Because again and again web articles tell us to use breathing exercises. Breathing exercises do nothing. All the current research shows breathing/relaxation exercises will not control anxiety on the ground or in flight. Don’t take my word for it. My blog at https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/conquer-fear-flying/201412/breathing-exercises-counterproductive-flight-anxiety includes links to all ten of the recent studies.
What can a person do that works? If you don’t have trouble with panic, my free app at http://www.fearofflying.com/app will give you everything you need. If you DO have a panic issue, since panic happens via unconscious processes, those processes have to be changed. Get a copy of “SOAR: The Breakthrough Treatment for Fear of Flying” which was chosen “Amazon Editors’ 2014 Favorite Book.” You can read a lot of it without buying it on the Amazon site.
Apparently the fear of heights goes away at something like 4,000 feet off the ground (since you can’t identify people or cars). I am terrified of heights (the CN tower put me into a panic attack) but I can skydive from 5k no problem. Since beginning to skydive, I no longer have a fear of flying. Maybe everyone with a fear of heights or flying should try it. (I am sort of kidding…)
Great post! I don’t have a fear of flying, but I almost always get motion sick. I usually pop a few Dramamine and sleep the whole flight 🙂
I was afraid to fly right after 9/11 and doubted I would ever get on another plane, but 2 years ago I went Florida with my daughter and I was fine. All that worry before hand for nothing. I do get motion sickness though.
I always hate the landing!
Just reading your reaction made me feel a little panic as well! I’ve only been on a plane once and I took a Dramamine that knocked me out for a bit of the ride (it was only about a 2 hr flight but I was terrified). It helped. Those photos are beautiful! Thank you for this post. I will keep it in mind while planning my vacation 😀
I’m so glad I came across this post on pinterest. I HATE flying – I grip the arm rests til my knuckles turn white. But I always try to tell myself that I can’t let that stop me. I love traveling so much that it’s worth it. But it is always nice for the reminder, and to know that I’m not the only one! And the 2,000 weekends left is terrifying and a real kick in the pants.