EARS TICKLED
“Welcome aboard!” Our ears tickled at the greeting to the herd of humans that boarded first. I grabbed a window seat one row back and a burly man stalking behind me grabbed the aisle seat of the same row. As the herd thinned along with the available seats so did my elbow room to another guy, a good sized kid.
When a bunch of strangers are tossed together like a fresh salad, there’s always a story in the makin’. It’s like playing poker; you never know what kind of card you might draw.
I was in luck; turns out the cards seated all around me weren’t the chatterbox kind… but the flight from Phoenix to Denver was just getting started.
As all of us sat uniformly like sardines in a can, most of us tried to avoid eye contact. Us veterans know that eye contact can lead to a conversation and a conversation with a stranger on an airline flight is only a couple steps up from being water boarded.
The younger fella next to me, with a shaved head and arms, had headphones in and was bouncing slightly to the beat that I could hear emanating from the tiny white speakers buried in his ears. As soon as the jet leveled off, as if on cue, the burly man with lots of chins fell fast asleep.
For those of us that have spent our fairshare of time fighting gravity in a metal tube at about 14,000 feet, we know there’s a lot of fakers; folks that pretend to be asleep, try desperately to find it and usually without success. But the one dead giveaway of a real nap is breathing patterns.
When the big guy’s jaw fell onto his chins and his breathing matched his weight, everyone knew behind those heavy eyelids he’d found the true land of “Z’s”. Then things got ugly…
As if right out of a movie that you’d critique as being too unrealistic, something very real began to happen. The burly guy started to snore, and not just snore, but bellow. There in not a pig alive today that could snort as powerfully as our airplane sleeping neighbor. A few seconds later he’d inhale a hurricane like Paul Bunyan trying to clear his sinuses.The early forties gal across the aisle from the supersonic snorer wasn’t avoiding contact anymore. After about ten minutes of snore torture, she was shooting him full of holes with her eyes, but his were hiding safely behind his lids.
The kid next to me yelled over the sound of the super snorer, “You need a pair of these!” pointing to his ears. I nodded, one step ahead of him, reaching for mine.
The senses are an amazing and funny thing; folks only want to use them to hear what they want to hear. And they get downright angry when they hear what they don’t want to or don’t agree with. Most lost folks fit that bill… but so do a ton of Christians who only listen to have their ears tickled.
Betty Draper
Sunday, May 1, 2016 @ 1:36 pm
Sort of funny story to bring a great truth out. Well , I say “sort of funny” if it was not so real. I remember once flying from Australia home and I had the window seat. A husband and wife were beside me and man oh man could they drink. At first they talked non stop to me, then slowly but surely they both drop their heads and fell into a drunken stage. This was a 12 hour flight so I usually do several bathroom breaks, some just to stretch my legs. It was getting pretty stinky over near my window, like a barroom smell. There I was not really wanting to wake them up if even that was possible so I held off till I knew I needed to escape to the bathroom. it was probably the longest bathroom break I ever took. Looking desperately for another seat i finally had to return to my own seat. They both were awake only to start their drinking…long story short, worst seat mates i ever had in all my years of flying. You will like Floyd, they were heading to the east coast of the US to watch their son play LaCrosse. I decided it was better when they were asleep even though I felt trapped. I have sit by some drinkers before but those two beat them all. For the life of me I found no application of Godly things in that flight except, beware of the one you hang with, even for a short period of time because you might have to join them in their drinking to put up with them.
Betty Jo
Sunday, May 1, 2016 @ 3:27 pm
Then things got ugly… and they also got funny! You had me laughing out loud with this one, Floyd. Due to physical problems, I can no longer fly, and I’m not one bit disappointed. The few flights I have had in my life were very similar to your story. Unfortunately, you are so right about many just wanting their ears tickled.
Keith Walker
Sunday, May 1, 2016 @ 7:16 pm
If anybody wants a lesson on how to turn a phrase — witness. “a bunch of strangers are tossed together like a fresh salad.” Do you see how that works? Not a single physical description, but we know what the people look like. He engaged the mind’s eye. Nicely done! And, let’s talk about the book end and the theme. Do you see how he started the piece and ended it? How he set up the theme and carried it to the end? Balanced and nuanced. He gave us a good reminder about our behavior. He also gave us a wonderful lesson about the craft of writing. Thank you.
Lynn D. Morrissey
Sunday, May 1, 2016 @ 9:12 pm
Honestly, Floyd, your life is more interesting than fiction! I don’t know where you find all these stories. Likely from keeping your eyes AND EARS!!! open, like every good writer and live-er should! And I am an earplug wearer. I take mine everywhere. Granted, I’ve not blocked out snoring, but horribly loud music. It’s ubiquitous, and it staggers me. It actually hurts my ears. But you are right…we tend to zone out to things we don’t prefer to hear (and often it is just criticism abuot us; I’d do better to listen to that and take heed). Next time you are on an airflight w/ a snoring sleeper in blue underwear (wherever did you find that photo?!), you might consider taking a good pair of earplugs along and a good book!
Love
LYnn
PS You tell your stories so well, too.
David Rupert
Sunday, May 1, 2016 @ 10:00 pm
Your story was great. Loved Betty’s too.
Let him who has ears, hear is what Jesus said. I wonder.if he meant this?
Diane
Monday, May 2, 2016 @ 3:31 am
Awesome message, Floyd, told only as you can do! Have a great day, my friend!
Diane
Monday, May 2, 2016 @ 3:32 am
P.S. Love the photo! LOL…oh gosh!…
Lisa notes
Monday, May 2, 2016 @ 11:45 am
That picture really makes me laugh. On my recent flight to Denver, there was a barking dog on board. Um, okay. Yes, there are sounds I want to tune out. Lord, give me wisdom to not tune out what you want me to hear though! Thanks for again making me go hmmmm….
Bill (cycleguy)
Monday, May 2, 2016 @ 12:35 pm
Great post Floyd. Only my wife says she doesn’t need an airplane to hear that. Well…least it is better since I had surgery and braces. 🙂 I just hope I hear what God has to say.
Pam
Monday, May 2, 2016 @ 12:47 pm
Oh my, Floyd. Thankfully you had headphones with you! I used to love flying but, like you said, it is more like being stuffed in a sardine can these days. Glad you could still hear God’s voice over the sound of the buzz saw! LOL!
Barb Raveling
Monday, May 2, 2016 @ 1:53 pm
So funny. 🙂 I just got back from visiting my parents and on the way back, we were on our plane waiting to taxi away when the loudspeaker came on and we all had to get off the plane. They said the flight was delayed until the next DAY and most of us groaned, having already gotten up insanely early to catch the flight.
I was wondering what to do because I was flying out of Vegas, two hours by shuttle from my parents home, when I noticed that two other people from my little town were on the flight, each traveling separately and all of us just knowing each other as casual acquaintances.
We teamed up and had a really fun day and night on the town, each having our own airline-paid-for hotel rooms. We drove to the airport the next morning in a shared cab, had breakfast together while waiting for the plane, and joined everyone in cheering when the plane left the runway – that was after a short delay when we had to backup to the terminal once again so they could come in and clean up after someone who had thrown up!
We hugged good by at the airport in Missoula and marked our calendars for that same day next year when we’re planning to get together again for Mexican food. It ended up being a super fun experience, even though in the beginning we weren’t happy!
Cheryl
Monday, May 2, 2016 @ 7:37 pm
Oh, my Floyd! This was just downright hilarious! Thank you for making me smile. God bless you, brother.
Hazel Moon
Monday, May 2, 2016 @ 9:37 pm
He that has ears to hear, let him hear – – – truth and not just something that tickles the ears. Christians need to get serious and study for themselves if they aren’t getting straight preaching at their church. I don’t fly often, but a couple of times I had to make a business trip by myself. Both times, I was seated next to women afraid to fly. I told the one girl, don’t be afraid, we will have a safe trip, because I am on this plane. I was not being presumptuous, for I had a calmness in my spirit and knew all was well. Now the snoring from the neighbor would not be good. I can just imagine him as you painted us a word picture, and I can even hear him. Thank you for sharing your amazing story with us here at Tell me a True Story.
Jason Stasyszen
Tuesday, May 3, 2016 @ 8:49 am
Floyd, I’ve been there and experienced that! Not fun. I think one of the worst was a couple of drunk ladies on a flight who were so loud and obnoxious you would have thought the whole plane belonged to them. Hmmm, maybe I should have prayed for them instead of being annoyed… 🙂 Thanks Floyd.
June
Tuesday, May 3, 2016 @ 10:52 am
You fashioned your experience into a beautiful witness, my friend. Well done! PS I’m glad you had earphones 🙂
Mike
Wednesday, May 4, 2016 @ 7:52 am
Funny story, Floyd! I once went camping with a group of people and we had one guy that when he went to sleep the first night, we all thought there was a bear near by. I’ve flown quite a bit in the past, and never did like it. It’s definitely to cramped for me and all the awkwardness of people trying to politely ignore each other is just plain stressful. 🙂 I always traveled with iPod and headphones, my participation in ignoring everyone.
TC Avey
Wednesday, May 4, 2016 @ 9:50 am
You’ve certainly tickled my ears with this entertaining and perceptive post.
I thought of this election as I read your post. So many people are having their ears tickled. They are voting based on their feelings and frustrations with very little substance/facts backing their opinions.
Brings to mind so many proverbs about the foolish vs. the wise.
Great post.
saleslady371
Wednesday, May 4, 2016 @ 10:09 am
All I can say is good thing it was a short flight! This is very funny and entertaining! “The burly man with lots of chins…” Too funny. True of us humans though with our ear pieces blocking out what we would like to ignore. Very good lesson.
Sharon
Thursday, May 5, 2016 @ 10:19 am
Love the story! And anyone who has traveled by plane knows the angst you speak of. If it isn’t one annoying thing, well, it could be any of another hundred annoying things!! Honestly, it’s like people treat the cabin of an airplane like their living rooms. “What happens in the airplane, stays in the airplane?!”
I really like your spiritual lesson in this. Yes, even we believers can be tempted to have our ears tickled. Some people church-hop, trying to find the place where they feel *comfortable*. My opinion on that? If you’re not being convicted or challenged in church once in a while, if you’re not feeling uncomfortable here and there, then you’re in the wrong place. For indeed, if Truth is being spoken, it will be hard to hear sometimes.
Let us have ears to hear. And ears that are willing to hear the *tough love* messages of what Jesus really wants us to hear. Our ears might not be tickled, but our hearts will be stirred!!
GOD BLESS!