My fear of flying is pretty limited to take-offs, so my “I’m safe now” move is to concentrate on a book as we accelerate down the runway and lift off. I don’t actually do any reading during this time — my brain is far too concerned with our plane reaching cruising altitude to pay attention to silly things like sentences — but staring at the book keeps my eyes off the disappearing tarmac and makes me seem like a fearless flyer. “Look at that guy,” I imagine passengers thinking about me. “He’s just reading a book, not impressed at all by the miracle of flight or scared of what could happen as we ascend.” Imagining I project an absence of fear helps me calm down, somehow.
How about you? What’s your signature “I’m safe now” move?
Image via screengrab.
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