Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. If you take a look out of our left windows, you will see that one engine just dropped off. That screeching collection of junk is now earthbound for that spectacular vista below, as are we.
I also regret to inform you that the coffee machine in first class has turned into a firestorm, incinerating our barista, Pedro. Espresso specialties will not be available for the time being.
Second class is experiencing a complete breakdown of cabin electronics. If you are feeling left in the dark, do not worry. So does everyone else. We are currently working on a solution. In the meantime, please use the light of the flaming inferno in first class to navigate the walkways.
We also regret to inform you that our duty-free limited offers have become extremely limited. Vouchers from our retail partners do not apply. We have also run out of tomato juice.
Should you have any questions, please approach our friendly cabin crew at any time. Local weather forecasts will follow as we get closer to establishing our destination. Enjoy the flight.
This is pretty much the state of mind in which many people are approaching the holidays right now. Everything in a tailspin, fingers crossed and hoping for the best.
It is an ironic reality of our modern lives that the time of the year which should invite the most calming of moods regularly turns into a torrent of stress, coping, and just barely making it through with all feathers thoroughly ruffled.
We make jokes about it every year but somehow fail to notice that nothing of all of this is necessitated by any natural or divine law. It’s just us humans doing human things.
While one could argue that this calls for a major realignment of conflicting cultural expectations, the realities of fiscal years, deadlines set by maniacs with a time machine and the forced reflection of end-year reviews do exist independent of our individual intentions.
Only some of us have the privilege to be able to circumvent or change these things, either by taking an early holiday or by being in such positions that they themselves can build human-friendly structures.
The rest of us are just pushing through. Often doggedly. Clenched bums to our seats.
The end of the year can quickly turn into a season of OH, OH, OH instead of HO, HO, HO and clearly, stressful situations do not bring about the best versions of ourselves.
We hear the whine of the remaining engines and all sorts of dangers, real and imagined, narrow our view. A season predestined for companionship can turn into a struggle.
I certainly have been there many times and I know many people are facing the same.
And here lies the key: Many people are facing the same.
If you are feeling like you are amidst an extremely bumpy ride and running out of belts to buckle up with, take a breath and consider that the person you are talking to might be missing the seat itself, barely holding on to the tray table.
There’s a good moment to over-correct towards empathy, being a bit jolly for being jolly’s sake. It is the season after all.
Yes, embracing our shared humanity and the other person would be great. That’s tough when they are screaming like a maniac.
But in the end, they also heard the message by the captain. And maybe they even lost some of those vouchers. Or love Espresso Macchiato. And they are as much afraid of their individual crash landing as you are of yours. Hence the annoying screams.
So here we are, united in worry and stuck in the rattling flying can that is the end of the year.
What are we to do? Quick-fix spirituality might be an option. Some belief system that puts us at ease with whatever is the case. There are plenty to choose from.
Such systems however, without getting too much into the details at this point, can – when improperly applied – come to odds with the other mode of thought being triggered by the end of the year.
The desire to plan, to act with self-efficacy, to shape the year that is to come.
As it stands, we are not only facing the end of the year but also the beginning of a new one. And we want that new beginning. And so, we wonder – and sometimes fear. Fear and hope being such a complicated mix as they are.
And then we ask again: What are we to do about this?
I believe, the important thing is to stress the second word of the crash-landing scenario. We will land. With feet on firm ground that allows us set up a base camp and get a good view of the landscape ahead.
And as it turns out, Pedro’s burns are just superficial, the extra roast has not hurt the coffee one bit and that former screaming maniac is the perfect opportunity to toast each other. We did it. We made it. Again. Cheers to us.