Boarding The Plane Anyway

A friend once told me that if we wait until everything is perfect, we’ll never get anything done. Apparently, that applies to traveling with MS too.

When my husband and I decided to fly from California to Florida, my anxiety packed its bags and came along for the trip. I worried about everything: getting to the bathroom, boarding the plane, and whether my dignity would survive airport security.

To my surprise, most of the airline staff were wonderful. They helped me navigate the airport, answered questions, and made the flight much easier than I had imagined. My walker, however, decided to take its own vacation and arrived a day later.

The trip home had a few bumps. Delays, tight connections, and an aisle chair adventure that felt more like an amusement park ride than airline assistance kept things interesting.

In the end, we made it home safely, and I learned something important: if I had waited until I felt completely comfortable, I would have missed precious time with family.

Sometimes courage looks heroic. Sometimes it looks like boarding a plane while your walker is on a separate itinerary and your anxiety is flying first class.

Julie Payne