INNER PEACE

A few weeks ago, Chris and I were flying back to Ohio from Seattle. We were on an older plane with the drop down 2” video screens every four rows rather than the personal TVs in the back of each seat. The upside is that the movies are free as long as you have your own headphones (and who doesn’t these days?). Remember when you had to pay to rent the crappy headphones with the dual plastic tubes that plugged into the armrest? 

The benefit to the individual TVs is that you get to select your movie, but did you know those damn things have swipe strips for your credit card now? Of course those lucky jerks in first class get it for free. And guaranteed that pompous guy who talked very loudly on his Blackberry in the gate area just so everyone could know he is, in fact, God’s gift to business deals is sitting in first class as you are herded on past. You know the type. Certainly he should be working on his next sales pitch rather than watching the free movie. 

It’s not bad enough that you are crammed into a seat built for a four year old and sitting next to some lady who doesn’t follow the unwritten “the armrest is the line” rule. Noooo! They make you pay $6 just to try to forget that you are in hell; a metal, pressurized, smelly, wrong temperature, germ laden tube 32,000 feet in the air with 128 strangers. How often do you think they disinfect those trays off of which you are supposed to eat your three peanuts? SICK!  

I digress. While on this cross-country flight, the airline was kind enough to show Kung Fu Panda 2. The panda's guru told him that the only thing he was missing in his quest to be a Dragon Warrior was ‘inner peace’. His response, “So that’s it? I just need inner peace?” I feel just like him!! A book I recently finished reading said that chances of conception go up for those who remain calm – that stress can effect implantation in some cases. Just like the panda, all I need is inner peace.

Only it’s not that easy. Some days are great and I think I’ve stared at infertility in its ugly face and told it that it doesn’t bother me. But then sometimes I go for days thinking I’ll never be able to climb out of this lonely, bitter, expensive place. The Kung Fu Panda also discovered achieving inner peace is not easy. At one point in the movie, he starts banging his head on the wall and shouting, “INNER PEACE! INNER PEACE! INNER PEACE”!  Yes!!! That is exactly what I’m talking about! This is now a favorite phrase in our house – always said in ALL CAPS.