A few years ago, a friend of mine decided she wasn't going to be afraid of flying anymore.  And now she's not. This report riveted me. I've been, if not truly afraid, fairly uncomfortable with flying since the first time I was on a plane, which I think was when I was about five or six. I've traveled a lot. This anxiety hasn't stopped me, but it has been an unwelcome part of every trip that finds me on an airplane. Could one really get over this fear by deciding to? Her testimony gives me new hope. Considering now that I, too, might truly control this anxiety, I quit allowing myself to even consider being afraid of flying. When fearful thoughts pop in my mind during any flight, I refuse to think about them. This helps noticeably, but I am not completely cured. 

Heading out again a couple weeks ago, I pick up a newspaper in the airport before departure to discover that Leslie Nielson has passed away. Watching Airplane! in the theater the first time is still such a clear memory for me, I would never have guessed that was 30 years ago, and that Leslie Nielson could be 84. I loved that movie, and the Naked Gun movies that followed. Such silly, clever, perfect spot-on humor with such flawless delivery from Leslie Nielson. I board the plane, and we take off. The pilot mentions the trip to Baltimore may be a bit choppy. Great. But I don't allow myself to start down that anxiety road.     

Instead, I'm tired, so I close my eyes. My thoughts start to drift...to Leslie Nielson and his courageous Airplane! performance as Dr. Barry Rumack in a movie that could easily have been heralded as one of the silliest movies every made. If for one moment Leslie had let anxiety get the better him, worrying whether his part would be well-received, he never could have given such an unforgettably spot-on hysterical performance in a movie that has since been called one of the top ten comedy films of all time. I want to have that kind of courage about flying. I imagine Leslie standing on the floor of this plane and riding it, a crazy air-born surfboard with wings, with all his calm and elegant aplomb. Then, as the ride starts to get a bit bumpy, I imagine myself taking Leslie's place. In my mind, I relax my knees to take the bumps, and ride this wild air board with all the calm elegance of Leslie's Dr. Rumack.

Who out there will think I'm nuts if I tell you this worked? It did. As we went through the patchy air, albeit brief, not once did I feel even a flicker of anxiety in my stomach, or the tiniest tweak of tension in my muscles.  Hard to imagine a movie that provided the lasting image of a plane piloted by an large inflatable doll could eradicate a fear of flying.  For sure, that wasn't the image that gave me my peace. What bolstered me was remembering  the courageous and unflappable Leslie Nielson. May he also rest in peace.