An Idea:
It’s vulnerability I feel in a plane, not fear. It heightens my state and so “Bridesmaids” is funnier and good song lyrics seep right into my bones. I’m not religious but with a song like “Closer to Heaven” I can be transported to an Eden beyond the five senses (without the vodka). During one of these “Up In The Air” moments, after our first son was born, I wrote him a letter and the habit stuck. The Airplane Letters, now for he and his brother, are intended to be read retrospectively when they are collegeish. I share what is happening in their lives and in mine. It’s a selfish act, creating this seed of immortality, but a pleasurable one.
Vulnerability/Extreme Edition:
3,000 people have climbed Mt. Everest. 500 astronauts have traveled into space and 50 humans have sailed solo, non-stop around the world. Rich Wilson did this as the oldest overall and only American entry in the 2008 Vendee Globe yacht race. In his podcasts, I marveled as he used “we” instead of “I” to describe his activity. When asked about it, he said, “Well we had so much support ashore it never really felt like I was alone out there.”
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