Friendless Skies

It occurs to me that we’ve practiced social distancing for quite some time, which is something I wrote despairingly about back in January of 2016. It was when the sky felt like it was falling, ever so silently.

I choose the opposite of despair today. I choose hope instead. And they cannot share the same lane.  I am hopeful we move on to a new normal that looks nothing like the flight I described below.  I hope that when we do have the opportunity to sit next to each other again, we will start with a nod, a smile, shake hands and be grateful for the opportunity to connect. I hope for shared happy trails ahead.

From January 11, 2016:

Oh dear. Flying cross country from Los Angeles to Minneapolis, I realized that we are all living in some bizarre Orwellian Sci-Fi horror movie and it has nothing to do with the airline, flight attendants or weather. It has to do with us, the passengers. The passengers who no longer choose to connect with our own species. All around (me included as I finish one movie and a smattering of Ted Talks) are humans who no longer choose to engage.  Instead we are pacified by staring into individual boxes in front of us.  We carry our devices on with us, use the ones offered us and myopically never look left or right.

I think of the heyday of travel. When people chose to dress for their journeys…pill box hats, gloves, jackets, ties…all with respectful purpose and with the intention to engage. Travel was part of the joy. Even if everyone’s future was totally compromised by the smoke blue fog of endless cigarettes, long hours of travel were filled with conversation and connection. With the understanding…we are on this path together.

We now have individual channels, headsets, and even walls in certain seats, to ensure in every way we immerse in a singular experience. We will never discover our six or seven degrees of separation at this point. An entire future of disconnect perfectly planned for our travel comfort.  Happy friggin' trails.