Getting to Know Daryl Hannah in Midair

From five miles above the earth, southern Georgia looks like a jigsaw puzzle. Compared to Florida’s more formal grid of square and rectangle shaped property boundaries, it was easy to spot a change from 36,000 feet up as the plane flew over into Georgia. The aligned angles of Florida fields melded into curves and loops with ruffled riparian edges in Georgia. I like Georgia, especially from up here. It means I’m on my annual spring trek to Nebraska.

I’ve relied on the latest issue of Sky, Delta’s in-flight magazine, to pass the first hour of flight. April’s issue has the annual Earth Day article, this time featuring the actress/environmental spokesperson Daryl Hannah with some of her thoughts on the hard work of saving the planet. She says:

“. . .sometimes keeping my spirits up can be a challenge, but I’m constantly refueled by absolute rabid love for this planet and the beauty I see when I find it.”

(I sometime have trouble finding the planet also, so I definitely understand. Not so sure about feeling rabid; I have a strong commitment, but maybe I just don’t know the symptoms.) I’m teasing, Daryl, you’re a passionate advocate, if not articulate spokesperson for the environment, and I do know what you mean about the fight to keep your spirits up. Discouragement is the side affect of working so hard to make a difference and not seeing results.

But there are results. The gentleman in the seat next to me on this flight was embarrassed when he confessed that he’s not very good about recycling. See? There was a time when he wouldn’t have known enough to be embarrassed.