Art, Lynn, the Boeing, the Storm and Breakfast

One christmas holiday back in the 1990s we were leaving for Florida from Logan airport in Boston, MA just as a Nor’ Easter was coming through town. For those of you not familiar with this type of storm a Nor’ Easter is a winter hurricane in New England. They have an eye, 70 mph winds and typically pump moisture laden air off the north Atlantic over the New England states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont where it falls as snow, snow and more snow. Sitting at the gate the Boeing 737 was rocking gently from the wind, not an auspicious sign for the beginning of our journey or to phrase this another way, if we didn’t get in the air soon we weren’t going anywhere for a couple of days. Thank the airline, the tower controller and the gods of aviation but we were pushed back, taxied without stop to the runway turned and started down the runway. We were possibly the last aircraft to leave Logan that morning.
Lynn and I always book an aisle seat and a window seat on the 737, over the wing if possible for the best chance of a comfortable flight. Unfortunately the center seat was sold so we had company for this flight. A handsome young man of possibly Spanish descent wearing a leather jacket and jeans. We made our introductions and when the young man noticed that Lynn and I are a middle aged gay couple he caged his eyes front and center and settled into his own thoughts. No big deal.

Conversation happens when it will and we had our books for entertainment. I was looking forward to the flight, I’m a licensed pilot though not for anything as sophisticated as the big Boeing, so I have what is sort of an insider’s view of an airline flight. I noticed that the big engines were pushing us down the runway a little longer and to a higher speed than usual and the airplane’s rotation to take-off attitude may have been a little bit brisker, both things I do on a gusty windy day. The big Boeing left the ground smartly and returned to the runway just as smartly only to leave the ground again. The second time we didn’t return to the ground so things were going better than expected. I took a look to my left to see how our guest was doing and my first thought was “I wonder what he had for breakfast?” With my mind in high gear and hoping against all hope the love of my life wouldn’t be in a surly mood I leaned forward and exclaimed to Lynn “Isn’t this fun!?” and he responded “Yeah!” so I followed up with “too bad this isn’t going to last. This is just like racing across a lake in a speed boat on a hot summer’s day! Too bad we’ll be through 10,000 feet soon and on top of the clouds!” and bless his heart he responded with “and as soon as we’re on top the air will be smooth again.” Well, the kid in the middle seemed to relax a little. The people in the seats around us thought we were crazy but that’s fine by me. Just so long as they weren’t thinking about how they felt. Pretty soon the Big Boeing broke out on top and as expected the air was smooth for the most part and life was back to normal with sunlit clouds passing by below us, Pretty soon the stewardess came by with food and drink and I was a little surprised when she leaned in and thanked us. I asked why and she answered “if anybody and gotten sick they all would have. As it was they were too busy talking about the crazy people.” I modestly explained my self interest in the matter and enjoyed my extra pack of airliner almonds.
When Tom Jefferson wrote about the pursuit of happiness he was talking about the good of all, about how we can all be just a little bit better, live better lives together than apart. It really isn’t all that hard to do something for the public good.