Hot Cereal - Cold Day

Saturday.....It turned out to require an act of extreme will not to multitask while eating my morning oatmeal.  Understand that my typical breakfast has been taken in while walking around with the cereal bowl while picking up items on the floor or letting the dogs in or out (how is it that they always think they are on the wrong side of the door - if they are in, they want out, if out, they look pitifully through the windows to get in) or washing my face or putting on my makeup.  Crazy!  So this time, I mixed the oatmeal and almond milk, stuck it into the microwave -OK, I emptied the dishwasher while the oatmeal was cooking- and then put in a dollop of yogurt and a squirt of honey and sat down at the dining room table to enjoy it while I looked out at the mountains and the pasture and the barn with the green roof and the red door.  Somehow I ended up in the living room, still eating my hot cereal, and picked up a magazine and then put it down like a hot potato.  This mindfulness thing is going to take some practice.

Had to be at the Louisa County airport in the 0930 to 1000 range to meet up with my friend and flight instructor for instrument practice.  So I rushed around the house, "discussing" with my husband who was going to call the neighbor's kid about the best time to come and split the wood. (He did it).

Out the door and off to the airport saying to myself "never be in a hurry around an airplane" - One place I have learned to be mindful is around and inside the airplane - and for that reason, flying the airplane is a relaxing experience because it demands my complete and total attention.  Another airplane mantra is "fly the airplane" - i.e., don't worry about talking to ATC or fiddling with navigation equipment or closing the door that might have popped open.  Seems pilots are way ahead on the mindfulness curve, or at least the good ones are.  I do have days when my head is not inside the airplane and on those days I have no business flying it.

Did I mention that it was cold outside yesterday?  It was about 17F when I got to the hangar and opened up the (cold) metal hangar door and walked around the (cold) plane touching its various (cold) parts to be sure that all was working well, then tried to start the (cold) tug - which, after pulling that damn string about 100 times, I decided was not going to start.  Then using my frozen fingers to tap out the number on my (cold) telephone for the FBO guys to come and help me pull out that heavy (cold) airplane using the metal (cold) towbar.  Happily, thanks to our handy Reiff engine preheater, the engine was not cold and the monster started right up.  By the time I taxied out and got ready to take off, I was loving the cold weather because on a cold day, the dense air will make even a "weedwacker with wings" aircraft climb like a homesick angel - the propeller taking huge bites of the dense air and pushing it back over the wings and the resulting lift, well, heavenly.


Bob W was waiting for me at KLKU with a smile and a loaf of his wife, Penny's, banana bread  that she had remembered to send for me after, two Christmases ago (!), I told her that her BB was the best in the entire world.  Those Woodberrys are sweet people!

So Bob W put me through the paces in the air and by the time I got to the part of the session where he had me negotiating 45 degree bank turns in which I was not supposed to lose altitude and was supposed to roll out on an exact cardinal heading, nothing was in my mind but the task at hand - MINDFULNESS HAPPENS!  That sense of peace and fun and being present lasted through the evening and into the night.  But today it's done and am starting over with breakfast (which is sure to include the best banana bread in the world) and a day of avoiding distractions from each task immediately at hand.  Wish me luck.