Flying is a series of choices. The decisions made during the process of flying can make or break your experience significantly. If your flying decisions are not made carefully, you may be in for a highly uncomfortable experience.
In my life experience, the biggest flying choices involve the window seat and the bathroom. Flying works for me because I don’t have to ever use the bathroom. My body, upon entering an airplane, recognizes its environment, and shuts off the need to use one until back on the ground. This counts for a lot, because I always buy the window seat, and thus, would never want to bother the people sitting to the right of me. Emergency situations prevail, of course, although I believe I can count my life’s plane bathroom visits on one hand.
With the advent of Covid, flying is very much the same, save for needing to wear a mask at all times. The airlines of which I was patron this past week ensured us that the planes get cleaned extensively between flights. Which is only a bit disconcerting, as one wonders what the cleaning protocols were prior to March 2020. Regardless, the added efforts are appreciated, even if I was still traveling on a fully packed flight, which I was. Clean is great until I have the possibility of getting sick from 160 strangers. But hey, we all make choices in life.
Pangry.
How do we all feel about that word? I heard a DJ bring up this relatively new term last month, and find it rather apt. Pangry: an adjective used to describe feelings of anger toward prolonged living within a pandemic. Folks, I’ve been pangry. I need human contact. At least, more than I have been getting. I’m all about protecting people, but when it comes to me, I feel that I can take a risk or two.
Life just isn’t as great as it used to be. And I blame Covid.
Please don’t mistake these pangry affirmations for any disbelief. I fully realize that it is a legitimate pandemic and I will march through any supermarket, post office, or whatever else with my N95 mask on with no problem. I advocate the flattening of the curve, widespread vaccination, and avoiding super-spreader events. But I’m pangry, and it has gotten in the way of some personal relationships.
I’m hoping that someone out there, even if it’s just one of you, can identify with my struggle. We’re coming on a year of anti-social living, making hard decisions related to seeing family and friends, and navigating a different work environment. At this point, I’m ready to go back.
So, please. Do all the right things. Because I’m getting impatient.
