UH-OH Something is escaping from the MIND SIEVE..... Returning recently from business via several flights and several airport layovers, I was grateful to land in our little hometown airport at last! My husband, quite happy at my return, motioned for me to say "hi" to two of our friends now sequestered in the passenger area, destined to fly out in the small airplane from which I had just emerged. I muttered under a cough and sniffle, "I hope they don't sit in seat 9A." I wouldn't have wished the way my body felt that day on good friends - not even on strangers....

The planes on which I traveled cross country were quite large and heaven only knows how many of my germs and everyone elses' were co-mingling enough to take many of us "down" for days. On those distances' flights, I tried sleeping, remaining still, no coughing, no sneezing, no moving about the cabin unnecessarily. Washing hands and stretching out during the airport layovers. Strangers on big airlines in huge cavernous airports, so many, yet too many too near to avoid airborne germy flotsam.

The final flight home, it's hard to ignore the strangers, the fellow passengers quarantined in a space built to hold 24 passenger and crew members - who shared my germy presence? The young man next to me in cowboy boots and jacket - had he been to a rodeo or was he going to one....it happens where we live; the young pharmaceutical rep who chatted amiably with her seatmate discovering that they had many friends in common, although had never met each other. Her seatmate who boarded somewhat grumpily - but shaped up into quite a conversationalist when the pretty woman engaged him in chat. Was he wearing a rug?

The woman in front of me with the nicotine cough - no, clearly recognizable - nicotine, not a cold. Her voice and her lingering smokey smell was detected by even my stuffed up nose. When would she quit? I wondered.

The wine enthusiasts - I don't think newlyweds, but probably weekend escapees from their kids and jobs; smiling at each other, relaxing for a couple of days, pointing towards the unfamiliar landscape of desert like, mountain like, rolling hills' greenery - were these vineyards? I hoped my germs were contained in the tissues I almost swallowed trying to keep the sneezes in my head and not in the aisle.

The flight attendant who handed me a diet cola and took away my empty....I wanted to say - please wash your hands now and why aren't you wearing plastic gloves to serve and to pick up the trash?!

The grandma eager to visit the grandbaby she hadn't seen in months - itching for the child, yearning to embrace her daughter and already regretting how short the visit would be - oh, I hope she didn't catch my germs....the grandchild probably had a fresh set for her visit anyway! She might be carrying the next batch of germs as she re-boarded that little plane in a few days.

The bent over farmer - maybe wheat - straighten up man, it was a good year for wheat. The irrigation rep - if he keeps doing his job, we may soon be out of water at home! Neither he or the wheat farmer will ever believe that until it happens!

The guy who took up two seats with just himself. I hope he didn't catch it - it's bad enough feeling bad by oneself but when you're twice as big as oneself you must be doubly miserable!

So, my thoughts about planes, my thoughts about flying, my thoughts about strangers in big airports, takeoffs and landings might be enough to keep me from flying but even on the ground germs are still co-mingling and spreading generously from one friend and neighbor to another. We dread them, can't avoid them, guard against them, house them.