Today, I am thankful for those who create soft landings.
We have all fallen sometime in our lives. I can recall a time when I fell hard, back when I was a wide-eyed boy of 7 years. On a hot summer day in July, I was desperately trying to keep up with my older brother and his buddies as we were all heading to play baseball at the park. As they raced ahead and climbed over a chain-linked wire fence, I trailed behind them in hot pursuit. There was a way around the fence, but I chose to follow the path set by my older heroes. Back in those days, the top of those metal wire fences often had sharp spikes that pointed upward into the sky. As I arrived to the fence, I threw my glove over and proceeded to scale it. As I reached the crest, the sweat on my hands caused me to slip and one of those spikes pierced my chest adjacent to my left nipple. Now, I must admit that I do not recall all the details that ensued, but I do recall a loud wailing on my part, an aching pain in my breast, and the ghostly look of fear in my brother’s eyes. After a trip to the emergency room where I earned nine stitches, I recall my mother holding me in her arms as we drove home. Supposedly, the steel prong penetrated through my chest and missed my heart by less that 1 centimeter. It was a close call indeed, and one that I readily sheepishly acknowledge speaks to some indescribable grace that, as a scientist, I cannot fully comprehend. That day, my mother was there to provide a soft landing for me in my desperate time of need.
We all have those moments where we need someone to provide us a soft landing. In my case, way back in 1975, it was my beloved mom after my near tragic fall. However, in many cases, the fall might be more abstract. Perhaps it was the biting, insensitive words of a work colleague that caused an emotional descent, leaving you feeling downtrodden, underappreciated, or incapable. Or perhaps it was a fall from grace of your own doing, which in retrospect leaves you feeling a pang of regret or guilt. Whatever the cause of the plunge, we should all concede that such plummets are universal. We all have them. Today, I’m grateful for those who are there to ensure the landing after one’s inevitable nosedive can be as soft as it can be. These loved ones, friends, and colleagues are the stalwarts that soften the blow or lend a hand to lift you up from the nadir.
On this day (July 20) in 1969, humans landed on the Moon for the first time. We all reminisce about Neil Armstrong’s first step on the sandy surface of that astronomical body, and the words he spoke, but we rarely think about the landing itself. This first moon landing was not something that NASA took lightly. Many unmanned missions, including hard landings (coined Pioneer & Ranger), soft landings (coined Surveyor), and lunar orbits (coined Lunar Orbiter) were performed over a 7-year period leading up to 1969 – many ending in failures, including 3 human fatalities. Even the manned Apollo missions first started with 10 ‘practice missions’, including a final pilot mission in which the astronauts performed all the necessary steps, including undocking and redocking in lunar orbit (i.e., everything except for the actual landing on the Moon itself). Hence, it was not until Apollo 10 was complete before all was deemed sufficiently ready to launch a mission to the Moon.
The lunar module itself, which was developed by Grumman Aircraft, had been plagued with many challenges and delays leading up to that glorious day. Nevertheless, the lunar module on that day in July 1969, nicknamed The Eagle, and the others that would land on the moon over the next 3 years, was regarded as the most reliable component of the entire space vehicle. In fact, the lunar module never suffered a failure that could not be prevented. No moon landing was ever aborted because of it, and, in fact, the lunar module became the hero of the fateful Apollo 13 mission.
We all suffer from falls, both physical and emotional in nature. Isn’t it great to have someone or something to help you cushion that landing or ameliorate the pain upon impact? Take a moment to share your gratitude today for those who were there to soften the fall or the aftermath of its effects.
I’ll start with a call to my mom.
Comentários