Isn’t it pretty to think so.
You find me on board a Boeing 747-400. I’m stuck in the toilet as I plummet to earth. This bird is rattling and creaking. The G-force is crippling. I’m pegged back against the wall. We are clearly out of control, and as the pilot, I should be in the captain’s seat. But my incapacity to move is due to fear of being unable to correct course. Staying here where I can’t see the result is a way to deal with it. I’m scared.
There’s a voice: Come on, man, you’ve got to get a grip. Drag yourself out of the bathroom and get back to the cockpit.
The buttons and dials are bewildering. I used to know what they all did. Every one of them, but right now, my mind is a blur. Peering out through the windshield, I can see the ground. It’s closer than I’d like. Lights are flashing, buzzers are buzzing, and dials are spinning.
It’s a red flag moment. I need a hand. I can’t even describe what I want or should be doing. As I look left, then right, I see two wings. They feel like elegant arms holding me. For a moment, I’m safe. Then BOOM. The windshield blows, and I’m back to dealing with reality.
The voice: If you don’t take action now, you will hit the ground.
So I’m just pulling back on the yoke, hoping it will be okay, trusting that this mud-sucker pulls up before we crash and burn. And whilst my sweaty hands correct course, a few random thoughts flash up:
1. Although it feels like Christmas is only just around the corner, we have only just started Quarter 4. A quarter of a year is not an insignificant amount of one’s life: 0.5% of mine, 1.2% of my daughter’s and nearly 2% of my son’s life. We don’t get that many quarters. An 85-year-old will have seen around 340.
2. I am glad I had dinner with my oldest friend this week. It turns out that in the morning, we don’t know what to do. We’re two of a kind, we’ll find a way to meet more regularly so the quarters don’t slide away.
3. Jumping into things too fast, confusing emotions at once, overthinking everything, ‘heat up’ and ‘cool down,’ impulsive behaviour, hyper-focusing, and sleep patterns.
4. I can see a little karaoke bar full of people of all ages, with a few well into their 300s (think quarters)—lots of singing, dancing and drinking. I am looking forward to seeing it again.
The landing gears are going to fail. It always does in these sorts of movies. I’m going to have to land this thing on its belly. It’s going to be messy. Nothing will be the same, there will be debris. I won’t be able to rebuild it this time. But the sun will rise down by the boats, and as long as I can sit there again with my friend, it will be nice. Isn’t it pretty to think so.
This week’s web links include a new music discovery, an airplane disaster movie, a place for dinner and a lovely little house with photos on the wall.
As always, don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. You will find me at carl@carlarchitect.co.uk.
All the best
This Week’s Links:
I’ve discovered I liked a bit of Fanny.
Surprise, surprise, a disaster movie on a plane with a happy ending.
A great place for dinner when you’re ‘up west’
A cottage with some pictures and photos on the walls.
It is possible to display your collections, I’d hate to be the cleaner, though.
As I look out the window today, I’m thinking it’s getting to Fondue season.
Main image credit: Universal Pictures