Laughing Gas: Cutting tension in the air |
||
|
By |
||
|
|
||
| This article goes astray from my usual columns and may be slightly offensive or off color to some of you. It is, however, a true story and one, which levels all of us to an equal common denominator of human functioning. Please be prepared to laugh and to take this article in the lighthearted and endearing manner that it is intended. | ||
| On the plane ride home from my Arizona vacation, there was tension in the air. Before we left the ground, our fully loaded plane was delayed due to bad weather. Having to wait on the runway for an hour or so to be properly spaced out to fly through the storm, many of us grew impatient, hungry, and anxious about when we would get home. After starting as twelfth in line to take off, it was finally our turn. We ascended through the clouds with some shaking for the longest time. Knowing that both taking off and landing are the most dangerous times in flight, the bouncing around upon ascent was scary. A young woman next to me kept looking at me wide-eyed as we hit air pockets and turbulence and said, “my father died in a plane crash”. Of course, this did not help me feel any more relaxed. I said, “focus on what you want to do when you get home. We will be fine.” On the inside, I was scared, too. I had never before had such a turbulent take-off. | ||
| After what seemed to be the longest and most turbulent of all ascents to get above the storm clouds, we entered into calmer air…so we thought. Dinner was warming and the aroma of chicken and beef teriyaki was filling the cabin. I was hungry. Then, another odor mixed in with the smell of food. It was horrible and gagging. I looked over at my two row-mates who did not seem affected. A few minutes later, this odor came over us again. It was gas! “Oh my God!” Flatulence! Not mine! I looked at my row mates, curious about where this foul smell was coming from and said, “It wasn’t me”. They both laughed and said simultaneously, “It wasn’t me either!” We all laughed aloud. | ||
| For the entire four-hour flight, we were under the seize of reeking air emanating from the row in front of us. Unpredictable but consistent odors kept each of us quick to take cover; pulling our shirts, sweaters or blankets over our faces as gas masks. Each time this would occur, the three of us would look at one another, make a face, and then crack up with full belly laughter. All of us were adults but felt like kids in church who could not stop laughing. I was reading about Buddhism and the 14th Dali Lama and wondered, “Is this bad Karma? Is this payback for times in which I could not help but pass gas inappropriately out of the bathroom?!” We chuckled again and my musings. | ||
| We were sure of who the flatulent culprit was much of the trip. At times, I worried, “What if we have the wrong people?” When the gentleman and his wife in front of us headed to the bathroom, our uncertainty stopped when the man left a wake of bad gas behind him. At this moment, the other woman in their row also perceived a horrible odor. She winced. It wasn’t her. I tapped her on the arm and said apologetically while chuckling, “that is why we aimed the air vents at your row!” She laughed and validated our olfactory pain. Soon, another couple behind us caught wind of what was happening. They leaned together whispering and laughing about the situation they observed. Soon, the flight attendants knew of our problem. It was no longer easy for any of us to keep a straight face. | ||
| At the start of this flight, I was a bit down with end-of-vacation-back-to-reality blues. The young woman next to me was fearful about dying in a plane crash. And the man by the window was on his way to Wisconsin for a week of training away from his family in Arizona. We all had our issues, concerns and worries about the realities we were facing. The delayed and rocky take-off only added to our stress. It was as though the rough air from outside that had originally heightened our worries transformed itself into internal bad air which served as laughing gas to bring us together, lighten our spirits and create a bond between us. | ||
| While there were differences among my row-mates and myself in gender, education, age and careers, our ability to be childlike and laugh about farts made us realize that we are all no different from the next person in basic human functions. There was no room for airs or snobbery when we were all letting down our inhibitions and allowing ourselves to act childlike in response to someone who had a very insidious yet potent gas problem. This gas was not only a release of tension for the person in front of us, but also served to alleviate our own fears and anxieties about getting back to work, being safe on the aircraft and facing new challenges in our jobs. | ||
| Admittedly down-to-earth and entertained by bathroom humor, I had more fun on this flight than any other. Our laughter was infectious and quick spreading like the gas before us. My two row mates also concurred that this was their most memorable and fun flight as a result of acknowledging our shared plight of bad air, and letting down our guard about being prim and proper. We all laughed so hard, shared embarrassing stories about gas, and even schemed to divert the bad air away from us by aiming all of our air flow vents towards the gas source in the row ahead. When the three people ahead of us began to freeze, squirm in their seats, and look up to find out why they were suddenly getting chilled, the three of us tried to muffle our laughter into our blankets. Finally, we had to surrender by turning off our vents. We were busted. One of the women snapped, “Would you turn off those vents”. We had to give in despite our attempts to clean up our air. | ||
| Amazingly, something as small, crude, and as innocent as a flatulence problem had such power on the plane. It reminded us how we are all just people, distracted our fears, brought out fun, laughter, and childlike and childish behaviors, and lowered our defensive walls. Fearful situations lead us to lower our inhibitions, tell jokes, and find humor in almost anything to help us cope. This laughing gas certainly had a cutting edge on tension |
|
This article was written by Dr. Laurel A. Sills, a Fully Licensed Clinical Psychologist (since 1987) and Life Coach. She provides direct, down-to-earth, short-term therapy with long-term results. She is passionate in her work and will help you stay motivated to change your life with regular commitment to changing habits in thinking and behaving. See her website at: www.DrLSills.com or www.BuildAStrongerYou.com |
||
|
Copyright 2006© Laurel A. Sills, Psy.D. All rights reserved Back to Articles |