I’m a little terrified right now.

It’s because of the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, a series of major volcanic events at in Iceland that caused significant disruption to air travel. The volcanic ash floating over western Europe is bad for jet engines, so in the days immediately following the eruption, more than 95,000 flights everywhere were canceled in the last week alone. The premiere of “”Iron Man 2″” was moved from London to Los Angeles, and people everywhere, recording artist Miley Cyrus included, had to rearrange their travel plans as a result of this natural disaster. Even the U.S. Air Force was grounded. And there’s a possibility that the skies won’t completely clear up in the coming months, and people all over are concerned about any upcoming trips they may be organizing.

As if most people don’t hate the act of traveling enough, the Icelandic eruption has sparked even more animosity towards airlines, which have taken the blame for a lot of the aftermath of this explosion.

Thankfully, weather conditions have improved, and airports have begun to reopen, but many people remain worried about any future flight troubles that may occur if traveling to Europe. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that British Airways expected about two dozen flights from the United States, Africa and Asia to land by early Wednesday. That’s not a large number, and it doesn’t set a good precedent for all other airlines.

I’m deeply sorry for everyone who was stranded as a result of this highly inconvenient event. As someone who has spent the night in airports due to dangerous flight conditions, I understand that it’s incredibly frustrating to have no clue when it will be safe to go home. Situations like these prevent most individuals from going to work, and those traveling with babies have to worry about running out of diapers, among many other infant-related scenarios.

In the end, these unfortunate circumstances are out of our control. We can get upset that this event may potentially scrap our future travel endeavors, and we can complain about being stuck in airports if that’s the case, but nothing will be accomplished. 

No one knows when something like this is going to occur. It won’t help to get angry and say, truthfully or not, “”I am never flying to Europe ever again.””

Some airlines handle these crises better than others, but no one can do anything about chaotic, violent natural disasters, so people everywhere must accept and be ready for the unpredictable, as much of a nuisance it may be. Life could be worse for those on the canceled flights. At least most people weren’t in-flight as the eruptions happened.

Remain positive and cheerful, and remember that you’re going to walk away from this sort of situation with a story to share with family and friends later on down the road.

—Laura Donovan is a creative writing senior.

She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.