Who Are The People In Your Airplane Row?

Dang it! I don’t play guitar, so could I trouble you all to hum “Who Are The People In Your Neighborhood” from Sesame Street?

OH Who are the people in your airplane row? In your airplane row? In your airplane ro-ow. Who are the people in your airplane row? They’re the people that you meet, when your sittin‘ in your seat, they’re the people that you meet, OyVey!

Kirk : JANE! Jane! JANE, My random relative I didn’t expect to see on this flight! Now, Jane, I may over-share, and overuse your first name (and you may overuse mine, as kinfolk share these winning traits) in my LOUDLOUDVERYLOUD talking voice for the flight’s duration. Sweet, Jane, SWEET.

Jane: Kirk! Kirk! Kirk! Kirk! Kirk! Where ya headed? Ya look so skinny, Kirk!

Kirk: Oh, y’know Jane, Gotta escape the weather–what with my seasonal-affective disorder. Oh, and Jane? I look skinny Jane? Well, Jane, that’s another story unto itself. Are you medicated Jane?

OH Who are the people in your airplane row? In your airplane row? In your airplane ro-ow. Who are the people in your airplane row? They’re the people that you meet, when your sittin‘ in your seat, they’re the people that you meet, OyVey!

Kirk: So, Jane, you’re not medicated? You don’t suffer from the same afflictions as the rest of the family, Jane? You seem extremely nervous to me, Jane. I hope you don’t take offense to my saying this Jane, but you always seem sort of fidgety.

[I apprehend a chiclet from Two-Year-Old’s clenched palm. No idea where Two-Year-Old got said chiclet. An idea dawns on me as I meet Kirk’s proud gaze.]

Jane: Oh, Kirk, doesn’t bother me a bit. I’m sure if I went to a shrink he could diagnose a thing or two [entire tail section of cabin chuckles and nods knowingly along with Jane]

Kirk: If only I had been medicated earlier in high school, I could’ve accomplished so much more, Jane. So much more. [Signals for another Jack-N-Pepsi]

Jane: Kirk, you just can’t think like that Kirk.

Kirk: But, Jane, I just can’t help but think, Jane.

Jane: But Kirk, but Kirk.

Kirk: Jane, But Jane. Really Jane…You see Jane [Entire cabin drowns out remaining conversation with rousing chorus after rousing chorus of…]

OH Who are the people in your airplane row? In your airplane row? In your airplane ro-ow. Who are the people in your airplane row? They’re the people that you meet, when your sittin‘ in your seat, they’re the people that you meet, OyVey!

***************************

It’s good to be back, friends. Hope you all enjoyed the bloggy festivities in my absence, as un-festive as things felt this past week. I enjoyed a wonderfully sun-filled–and regrettably sleep-deprived–week away (more details later). I had no computer access, but asked Husband once to check my in-box. Husband scanned through my email, and that’s how I learned of Braja’s accident.

Braja and I had our first phone conversation before I left, filled with excited giggles at hearing each other’s real life voices. Her phone manner came across positively elegant and sweet. In fact, she has such a gentle warmth about her, that you’d never imagine her round-house-ass-kicking ways. I left for my trip still basking a bit in that warmth, so the news of the accident seemed all-the-more unimaginable. I’ll never catch up with all the love and prayers and thoughtful words written in her honor by all of my bloggy peers, but I feel so grateful for all the energy going their way. Seems miraculous that she and her husband will be “okay.” However, I suspect the path back to feeling truly “okay” (body and mind) feels long and painful for all of them. Anyway, dear Braja. Love you, my friend. Sending you light and wishing all of you and your families strength for this difficult healing process. I’ll do my best to keep you laughing.

xoxo