Looking on the Bright Side Manhattan, New York 9-19-12

The flight to New York proved very short and surprisingly smooth. The pilot had warned us before takeoff of some rough air which never materialized. I was able to get some rather expansive sunrise cloud shots out a surprisingly clean window while having rather pleasing conversation with a third year medical student from Manhattan. We enjoyed the only empty seat in the plane between us. My seatmate had a boy friend picking her up and we ended up with a ride into Manhattan which instantly made the trip far less complicated and pleasing at the front end. Conversation with Janine, encouraging her to not lose her gentleness and compassion in her medical training was profoundly satisfying. The twelve-step program of recovery does well in informing one’s life in such a way as to enable giving experience strength, and hope. It really does make for a good social skill I was lacking in for too long.

I find New York surprisingly calm and ordered. After being exposed to the organic nature of places like London during the Queen’s Jubilee and Olympics, Manhattan feels almost sedate. David, my travel mate, found it overwhelming and wanted nothing to do with it. It’s interesting how the same environment creates such difference reactions in people. I can’t but wonder if I would do as poorly in a remote rural locale as David would in an intense urban one. It’s impossible to get lost in Manhattan, as it’s laid out on a perfect grid. I find vast cities rather interesting places. I wonder why I so often dream of getting lost in them, something I have not done in my waking hours.

We found ourselves at the Charlotte airport early, no one was waiting in security, our plane arrived early at JFK, and we were at the Port Authority dock two hours early by virtue of Janine’s generosity. There’s been no frantic sensibility whatever to our journey. One of the dock stewards took to us and we were admitted onto the ship earlier than many of the others. We were settled and eating at poolside by 1:30 PM. The passenger contingent seems older, almost blue collar, no kids. My preliminary brief encounters with passengers suggest this will be a pleasant group without a lot of pretense – basic wholesome good people having their one-time journey of a lifetime.

The weather and water are another story altogether. Fierce gale-strength winds blowing under angry spitting skies have stirred up a maelstrom. While still moored at the dock I estimated the winds at 50 knots steady and gusting higher, perhaps 70. I could not even hold a camera up most of the time. Manhattan was shrouded in cloud, no aureate sunset views of the skyline were in the offing tonight. I did get a few images, some of which will be useful for travelogues but nothing more; no contest winners here. For today, I will have to be content with transcendent cloud images I got from the plane. I’m still wondering how we had such a smooth descent into JFK with such intense wind prevailing at ground level.

The water proceeded to get much rougher in the evening as we moved out onto open sea; many people are hunkered down, too bad for those on their first day of their dream holiday. The ocean is rougher than what I experienced during the rare November category four hurricane of 1999. I ate a grand meal of coconut Thai chicken with several fine courses and then wobbled off to bed. Somewhere in my distant past I acquired the idea a very full stomach would provide relief to motion sickness. Apparently, this is true.

I fell asleep instantly for about eight hours, never even getting into bed. This was a good thing as I heard the water was hellatious from 11-2 during the night. I’m amazed I slept through it. Ignorance is sweet bliss in this case. Perhaps the work of recovery has allowed me to trust Someone else is really in charge, and it’s not me. Passengers reported having a long miserable night. The captain says we’ve had 60 mph winds directly off the beam the whole run thus far; gusting to 75. He reminded us this is the worst aspect from which to take wind.

I think of the story of Jesus sleeping in a boat while on a journey across the Sea of Galilee, a body of water notorious for getting stirred up in no time. His disciples became frantic with fear, convinced capsizing was imminent. Waking Jesus, they demanded he do something about their impending doom. He told the winds to be still; they obeyed. The disciples settled down, allowing their nascent faith to dissipate their overwhelming fear.

For those having learned to trust God with the affairs of their lives, fear is kept at bay, even when the winds do not calm down. Equanimity is the ability to be at peace, even when caught in the maelstroms of life. Serenity is the ground from which acceptance of life on life’s terms comes to us.

I have no assurance what the waters of life will look like tomorrow. They may again be steel-gray mounds of undulating foam with wind shrieking in the superstructures. They may be serene aquamarine mirrors with balmy breezes. No matter. In either case there is One who is in charge despite appearance to the contrary.

Before the foundations of time the days of my life were ordered, the hairs of my head numbered. It matters not what is before me. As Jesus trusted His father, may I do likewise. Perhaps I can then, as Jesus did, sleep through the storm at peace. For one once tortured for years by unceasing panic, anxiety, and fears of a hundred kinds, for one once unable to get on airplanes, unable to go in parts of my own house, this is a big deal of the highest order for me, especially out here on stormy seas.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, of things yet unseen.

Blessings,

Craig C. Johnson