I love your blog! And I hate to fly, too! But you do it and that makes you braver than me!

I too am afraid of flying, but as I live on the other side of the country from my family, I have to fly at least once a year. I and once sat next to a young woman with a baby, who flew much less frequently than I do, and I found that comforting her and rationalizing to her WHY our plane would stay in the air helped me to convince myself that we would be safe. I definitely think that helping someone else to overcome their fears can help you to take your mind off your own!

I can't even tell you how much I relate to this post... from saying about 50 Hail Mary's and Our Father's from the moment that plane starts to take-off to the minute we touch the ground again. Why in the world is something that large and heavy able to fly?

Guess I should have paid more attention in my physics class... that will never make sense to me! I have to fly several times a year for my work and if it weren't for the fact that the destinations are so cool (Grammy Awards, Vegas... all for live radio broadcasts) I don't know how I would do it!

Love the blog... looking forward to more posts.

Meredith,
i completely relate to your post. i also have a fear of flying. and it confuses me. of course the main fear is crashing and dying...but i do think it has something to do with control. as i put it, i don't like to put my life in the hands of someone else. haha My boyfriend is a pilot and i won't even fly with him haha although he did say something to me to calm me down. he explained to me how planes glide...even the big 747s. and i am convinced. so when i freak out on the plane...i think well we will glide! Maybe that will help you. or perhaps we should just try to do what the pilot says, "sit back, relax and enjoy the flight".

I didn't take my first plane ride on a commercial jet until I was in my early twenties. The weather was less than stellar and we experienced "some turbulence" (which if I would experience that same "turbulence" now, I would feel sure we were all done for) It actaully felt like the plane was falling four or five stories and then "hitting bottom" with a HUGE smack. Ignorance is truly bliss...until the seasoned traveler next to me inquired "How can you be SO CALM"? I told her this was my first flight and asked if I should be worried. She said "OMG, YES! I fly all the time and I've NEVER felt anything like this". Great, thanks a lot for the information!

In all the flying I've done since, I've never experienced anything like that again. The lesson here is, get the really bad one out of the way up front, the rest seem like a breeze :)

Oh my gosh! I feel I belong! I am the absolute way about flying...especially after 9/11. I havent thought about drinking...but I am going to now... Everytime the plane takes off...I pray at least until a half hour into the flight. When I flew with my infant son, it was comforting to hold him in my lap and speak my prayer into his ear after explaining the take off procedure. Now that he's 3 years old, I dont fly often and I cant imagine flying with him at 3 years old!

I love you Meredith!

"Try"?!?!?!? That pilot needs a new vocabulary!! :)

I too have been in that loop-d-loop above Washington due to bad weather...and bad weather and flying do not mix.

Welcome to blogger world Meridith!! You are great - and can't wait for more posts.

I'm another skittish flyer. I fly from Colorado to Michigan once a year and every single year, there's a storm over Lake Michigan. Turbulance over water is not fun.

I hear ya...I fly regularly for business and I actually count the seconds the entire flight. There is a free online course you can take that talks about flying and actually calms the nerves! :)

It's nice to read your blog; as in everything you do, it comes across as honest and relaxed. I look forward to reading your thoughts on this crazy world we live in.

I have a fear of flying as well. My fear began after the attacks of 9/11. I have not boarded a plane since. I am going to Texas soon by plane and I am scared. I do not drink and since I can not smoke I am seriously thinking of taking a xanax before I board. What do you think?

Meredith! I'm sooo enjoying your blog! Great job! I too totally understand your fears! I hate flying too. It didn't bother me as much before I had kids. I have 3 kids like you. My kids are ages 3, 5 and 10. I hate flying with and without them. When they do fly with me, I can't help but think of the danger I put them in. I go crazy with worry. When they are not flying with me, I again think of the danger I put them in by possibly making them orphans. :( It's a vicious cycle. I'm happy to hear I'm not alone in my fear. Keep up the GREAT work at The Today Show! Me and my hubby saw you in person on the day the Doodle Bops were on the air! My husband called out to you and said "Goodbye Meredith" Remember? Hehehe!

I hate take-offs but am OK once we get in the air. Whenever I fly with my dog in cabin - he's under the seat - I hold on to his carrier during take-offs. I'm not sure what I expect to be able to do if something happens but I do it everytime.

I've added this to Favorites...

Love you on Today and miss you at The View

I absolutely love the image of you willing the plane to fly. That is funny. I don't have a fear of flying but I have felt that sense of willing something that I have no control over.

I am sure your fellow passengers appreciate your dedication! ;)

I Hail Mary-ed my way through a flight on Wednesday and have to do it again tomorrow.

The challenge for me is to try to look casual while I'm doing it.

I always say a prayer before take off and a thankful prayer when I land. A safe flight from start to finish should NEVER be taken for granted. BTW, Meredith, I love your blog and you are an inspiration.

Hey,

Im a Flight Attendant for Jetblue Airways, It's really not that bad flying. Dont freak yourself out so much on the plane, hey if anything take a good ambien.

You truly are missed at the view.

Charlie

Last weekend I took a train to Boston (4.5hrs) rather than fly. It was more expensive too, but on short flights I prefer the less white knuckle mode.
Welcome to the blog world, Meredith. Soon I will feature you on my blog.

http://hughe2030.blogspot.com/

WOW, I love the Internet, I never thought I would ever be able to somewhat be able to connect with you , since I live waaay over here in a tiny town in Canada, but I totally miss u from the View, but am glad to be able to find u on your new show....This makes me day...It makes me happy to know that just maaaybe you might be reading this, Thanks alot Meredith for the wisdom and grace you showed on the view and now I get to see a new side of you on your new show, very cool. Anyway, Have A great day, and dont worry, I do the Will to fly thing to...Somehow in some way I think the same, that if I concentrate, enough and pray that we WILL get to our destination....your not alone meredith....Funny isn't it?

WOW, I love the Internet, I never thought I would ever be able to somewhat be able to connect with you , since I live waaay over here in a tiny town in Canada, but I totally miss u from the View, but am glad to be able to find u on your new show....This makes me day...It makes me happy to know that just maaaybe you might be reading this, Thanks alot Meredith for the wisdom and grace you showed on the view and now I get to see a new side of you on your new show, very cool. Anyway, Have A great day, and dont worry, I do the Will to fly thing to...Somehow in some way I think the same, that if I concentrate, enough and pray that we WILL get to our destination....your not alone meredith....Funny isn't it?

Hey!!

Chicago is the "city with the big shoulders." We would have never have let your plane go down. Not at least without getting your autograph first.

LOL I kidd I KIDD

I HATE flying too Meredith. The longest flight I ever experienced was one from Jamaica to London (9 hrs). Mid way my journey I mentally gave up---I was so consumed with negative thoughts of crashing and dieing and crippled by fear--I glued my eyes to everyone's faces just to find out whether there was anyone like me..lol
Since 9/11 my fear has got more extreme--I take sleeping pills an hour before I board--THAT's MY SECRET...lol

I HATE flying too Meredith. The longest flight I ever experienced was one from Jamaica to London (9 hrs). Mid way my journey I mentally gave up---I was so consumed with negative thoughts of crashing and dieing and crippled by fear--I glued my eyes to everyone's faces just to find out whether there was anyone like me..lol
Since 9/11 my fear has got more extreme--I take sleeping pills an hour before I board--THAT's MY SECRET...lol

Meredith,

First, I must say you are doing a great job on Today. Second, somewhere along the line I have also become hesitant about flying. My fear does not really kick in until I am forced to get on one of those lovely little airplanes.

I feel the same way you do Meredith. My first time flying I was 20 and was going back to Chicago from Phoenix to see my grandfather. The flight was making a stop in Dallas and thankgoodness this Texan sitting next to me kept buying me drinks to calm me down. By the time we arrived in Dallas, I was feeling no pain and for the rest of the flight to Chicago, I slept. Even now when I go on a flight I have to have a few drinks before I get on board. My Grandfather always had this saying about flying....If a certain person's time is up and they are on the same flight as I am, why should I have to go down with them? I will never forget him saying that....LOL LOL LOL

A) I love that you'll admit to a fear of flying.
B) I love that you'll admit to a few glasses of wine on the plane.
C) I love that you can quote Airplane.
Go, Meredith, go!

HA! You are my flying soul sister with the "willing the plane to safety" thing. Just last month on a flight between Atlanta and L.A. I flew over thunderstorms. I could see the guy behind me being nervous which made me more nervous, the little girl next to me was at least sleeping. The plane started to shake a LOT and I was thinking I was doing fine until the pilot came over the intercom to tell the flight attendants to sit down and buckle up. ARRRRRRRG! *anxiety***

Flying over water...not my favorite either. When my second child was five months old we flew to Hawaii from the midwest.

I cannot tell you the feeling I had when the stewardess handed me the "life preserver" for my baby. I wanted SO much not to be reminded of all that ocean.

Dear Meredith,

I truly appreciate your openness and the ability to stay true and vulnerable to your viewers and readers. The comment that you made about helping others with their fears and insecurities helps you with your own can be life changing. I don't know if we ever totally conquer all of our fears in life, so we might as well try to stay open, as much as possible, to help others. Fear can be a very tricky thing to overcome, but I am convinced that it is ok to "feel" afraid and go forward with the feeling rather than make decisions based on it. In other words, we keep getting on the plane.

I hope that you know what a hero you are in this life. Thank you for posting this blog. It helps to know that you are not alone in the battles of life.

This was like reading a rundown of my own habits on an airplane! Hysterical!

Personally, I love flying -- although I seem to recall my first landing in D.C. being a hair-raising experience, just because I kept seeing us getting closer and closer to the surface of the Potomac! My wife, on the other hand, likes the flying part but can do without the taking off and landing. :)

You Rock!

I think we went to the same flight school! Totally agree that if I were to close my eyes, the plane I am on would certainly fall from the skies. Planes run on willpower, don't they?

Nice to see you enter the world of blogging, miss you on the View.

Dear Meredith,
I too have a fear of flying! The first thing I do when I get on an airplane is start chanting to myself,"Lord, please craddle this plane." I close my eyes and hope I look calm, cool and collected. LOL. Next, I take a xanax for my extreme anxiety. This usually does the trick. Thanks for sharing your fears. Your doing great on the Today Show.

we all have our fear and you're strong to openly accept it. very honest and natural. you're cool and congratulation. you're a darling in The Today..........seems like you've been in the show more than a month,,,,,,,,,,your wit and confidence is obvious

Meredith,
I too have to travel for my job and hate it-the flying part not my job.
If it makes you feel any better I have been on a flight that had to emergency land, one that hit a wind shier and more turbelance than I care to admit.
Hope to see you in the front row one day. We can share bottleS of wine.

When I was a child I flew all the time and it never occurred to me to be afraid. As an adult, however, I get an intense case of The Fear anytime I have to board a plane. During the interminable "taxiing" time when the pilot is driving to the runway I'm praying, praying, praying. During takeoff I'm gripping the arm rest - praying for myself, praying for the other people on the plane, praying for the pilots and crew, the wings, the engines - you get the picture. Once in the air I can sort of "pretend" I'm not thousands of feet in the air by ignoring the window and burying my nose in a book. Once descent begins, though, my eyes are glued to the window as I watch the ground move closer...closer. I send comforting messages via ESP to the pilots "Come on...you can do it..." interspersed with prayer. Upon landing my heart resumes its normal rhythm and I say under my breath "Thank you God!!" Good times, indeed.

I love the way you write and I'm looking forward to reading your future posts :)

I knew in high school I wanted to be a "stewardess". I have been a flight attendant for a great "little" ( very profitable) airline for 21 years now. I read the same thing here that I feel. If I am a passenger I need wine. If I`m working the turbulence doesn`t bother me...much. I HATE flying over water. When I started with this "little" airline we didn`t have any flights where we had to cross water. Now I just try to stay in Tx. There is nothing more beautiful than flying on a clear night. Unless there`s a gremlin on the wing. hehehe

Hey Meredith,

I'm with you with the being afraid to fly. If there is ever a good place to get wasted, it is on a plane...as long as it's not the pilot doing the wasting! I think it's the lost of control that makes us so afraid.

I'm glad you have this blog. I can't watch you long in the morning but it is good seeing your smiling face. Keep up the good work.

Joanne

Meredith....the reason I like you SO much is you are so reality based...and you are a HOOT! Likewise, I hate flying...two close calls and I am now grounded for life! I usually do NOT watch the morning shows, but I am making an exception for you! Best of luck....Marsha

Meredith, I know how you feel. Don't like planes, make me very nervous. I say a couple of "Hail Marys" and "Our Fathers" every time I fly...

my fear is the landing gear. i don't understand why they don't have like 100 tires on the plane with different controls for each one of them. oh well, i guess they know what they are doing (mostly)
love you on the today show! tell matt he's really hot btw! :) al too!

I have to say that I'm not even slightly afraid of flying. It's the crashing and exploding that terrifies me! Your blog is fun! :)

As for me, I try to stay unconscious while flying. I take a sleeping pill while in the departure gate, although my timing has to be perfect because if I take it too late I risk having to endure the take off, and if I take it too early I risk being unable to walk onto the plane. I too begin praying at the gate. I carry with me a small cross for protection. (I turn quite religious while flying). I always walk softly down the aisle while in flight so as not to disturb the plane. And I too look at everybody's faces when I board the plane - and for some reason I feel better if they are young, good looking faces because beautiful people don't die (that's what I tell myself - of course Princess Diana refutes this insane theory entirely). I was on a flight that hit three air pockets and everyone screamed. The woman next to me grabbed my arm and yelled, "We're going down!" When people say, "We all gotta go some way," I always say, "Yes, but I'd prefer not to go by falling 35,000 feet or in a ball of fire."

I, too, am afraid to fly and sit by the window looking out the entire time. Every bump makes my palms sweat. But, when it's all over it's worth it.

I love to travel and hope one day to get used to the big planes I have to travel in.

By the way, you are the best. Whoever selected you to succeed K. Couric deserves to be promoted!!!!

Keep up the good work...

Meredith,

I am so enjoying your work on "Today." We are about the same age, have kids the same ages and, um, I think that's all we have in common.

I think many of us have tried to mentally fly a plane to safety -- and for all we know, we've succeeded, right?

I thought you might want to read a blog entry on this topic by another popular ivillage blogger, the Grrl Genius. She did a piece on Aug. 2 called "The Kindness of Strangers," on her similar fear of flying. It's in the "love and sex" section of ivillage.

Cathryn Michon, who writes the blog, is a contributor and appears on "Today," so I am sure you will meet soon. And when you do, you will be able to agree on the importance of wine in these situations.

There are many, many wise and funny posters on the Grrl Genius blog, and we have in fact already discussed how great you are. I know that all of those posters are going to enjoy your blog, too, which is also wise and funny. Thank you so much for writing it!

The comment made, "Maybe helping someone else can help you overcome your own insecurities and fears." is so true. I have lived that statement for the past 5 years by helping youth overcome abuse of all kinds, because no one helped me when I was going through my abuse. It is nice to be able to help others with their fears and insecurities and also the victories.

In case anybody wants the link to the Grrl Genius blog about flying, here it is:

http://grrlgenius.ivillage.com/love/archives/2006/08/the_kindness_of_strangers.html#comments

There is a real firestorm going on over there today, but I just had to read Meredith's new post so I thought I'd drop off the link while I was here.

Girl, you need some Xanax! Didn't you see the story in the Times style section a few weeks ago? It was about how many people take anti-anxiety medication before they fly these days.

Believe me, it doesn't make your head fuzzy, it doesn't make you talk funny, it just takes away your anxiety. I don't fly without it, and it has made my travels much more enjoyable.

Try it and see! (I sound like a drug rep, but really I'm not.)

PS Love your show, babe.

Hi Meredith!
I have a fear of flying, too! How do I deal with it? I just won't fly....period! :)
Did you know John Madden (yes, THE John Madden of football fame) is all-out scared of flying!! He gets around on the ground any way he can! :)
All my travels have been on the ground, too.
You're a real trooper, though....you're braver than I am! :)

The best way to get over fear of flying is to do it a lot. At least for me, the less frequently I fly, the larger any anxieties about it loom. If I'm flying a lot, I don't even blink, I even start to enjoy takeoffs and landings. Treating fear as a habit helps to overcome its control over our lives. Drugs help too (but more to make the flight go quickly if they're long) as do good movies.

I admire you for being a successful woman in a tough industry and making it easier for people to realize that being a mom and being successful don't have to be mutually exclusive. Good luck!

OK, I don't usually do this, but I enjoy your blog and feel compelled to share..I love to fly, but my partner hates it. SO, coming back from Hawaii, she took 2 mgs of Ativan, put her sweet little soft collar pillow around her neck, her cute little black blinder on her eyes, her headphones in her ears with soft soothing music, and drooled all the way home to Atlanta. I, on the other hand, flirted with the stewardess all night while we all laughed at Lynn and did things like put napkins in her ears. THE MORAL of the STORY...guess who had jet lag for 3 days after we got home? me, of course. And 10 years later, I still can't live it down. So when we went to Europe I took off with 2 mgs of Ativan...

Katherine, Winter Springs, FL

Hmmm, so I'm not the only one sitting by the window "helping" the pilot safely fly the plane. What a pleasant surprise to learn there are so many of my fellow passengers doing the same! One thing I do as I board the plane is tap the side of it (sorta drum my fingers a little). It just became my little goodluck thing to do many years ago when I began flying frequently for work and it calms me down a little. Meredith you are soooooooo missed on the View (I can only watch it in brief segments--poor Joy Behar). Best of luck to you in your travels and your adventures with Today!

You put my fear of flying in to words perfectly! Great post! Although I am not a church goer, I feel the need to touch the outside of the airplane and say the Hail Mary. When we take off, I say the Hail Mary and pray that we don't all crash, die, explode, or anything else horrible. My husband just adores flying with me as a grip his hand so hard he loses all circulation to his fingers! Also, the passengers probably don't enjoy me jumping and asking "What was that?" with every strange noise and movement.

Now my solution: Valium. I'm relaxed, I sleep, and my husband gets to reach our destination without a crushed hand!

I was never one to watch the Today show (no reason in particular) but ever since you came on, well...I just can't get enough of it! I tape it every morning :)
Matt is great too. sorry Matt that it took me THIS LONG to watch! (better late than never!) Meredith, you are in one word: CLASSY!