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Showing posts with the label Fear

So What Happens When a Airplane Drops Altitude Dramatically?

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The mark of fear is not easily removed.  – Ernest Gaines   _______________________ I can tell you what happens from firsthand experience.  In 2006, Jerry and I were on a flight to Minneapolis – I think it was Delta or Northwest – when, suddenly, the plane dropped several thousand feet in a few seconds. You notice it; your stomach feels as though it has been left behind, somewhere up in the sky. And you know you’re in trouble when the airline attendants are rushing up and down the aisle, and the pilot, voice shaking, says, “Attendants, take your seats.” You really are convinced that you’re going down – I even asked the flight attendant, “Are we going to be okay?” No answer (gulp). Too busy battening down the potential projectiles. No time for announcements. We leveled out and continued flying over Pennsylvania at 10,000 feet. The pilot (bless him) announced on the intercom that something had possibly gone wrong with the environmental controls (t...

Thought for the Day--March 18, 2011: Avoiding "Pressure Feeders"

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Totally avoiding pressure feeders can be difficult, if not impossible, but you can lessen the damage they can cause to your efforts. A "pressure feeder," a friend, family member, or co-worker who knows you are trying to make health and dietary changes, insists on sabotaging your efforts by pushing treats and junk food at you. They will insist that you must try what they offer and will try to guilt you into giving in: "Oh, you're so thin now; surely a little bite won't hurt..." "I made this just for you..." "You're much too thin already; you need to fatten up a bit..." If you don't want to eat the treat, simply politely decline. All too often, however, pressure feeders will make a big deal of your diet and may even poke fun at your efforts and blow it all out of proportion. The best tactic: change the subject ("How about those Orioles...?"). If this person insists on hammering on this subject, politely ignore him or he...

Memoir Madness: Driven to Involuntary Commitment