25 Jan Miracle in the Andes
Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado
Humans can end up torturing themselves with possibilities. If only this had happened or that hadn’t. What if I said no instead of yes? I should have gone in this direction instead of that one. I used to know the game all too well. I have learned it is best not to sink into this line of bitter thinking.
Thoughts like that won’t change the past or help you in the present. That can be said for all the survivors, as well as the family members of the victims of the plane crash that is the basis for this novel. It happened. The plane crashed, and from that moment forward, everyone’s lives were going to be different than they had hoped or planned for.
As a side note, I think many people are familiar with this story, but if you aren’t and want to read the book, there are a few very minor spoilers here. Nothing that will ruin your enjoyment of the tale, but nonetheless.
An Uruguayan rugby team charters a plane for an exhibition match. In the midst of stormy weather, the plane crashes high in the Andes mountains, and roughly two-thirds of the passengers survive. The book covers not only the gory details of survival but the camaraderie, courage, determination, and life lessons that followed. I read this novel in the midst of my third Covid isolation, and that timing was excellent. I tested positive for Covid (as had more than half the prison population) and was told to grab a clean t-shirt and underwear and wait outside to be escorted to the isolation unit – a building whose glim surroundings made my unit look like a mildly upscale residence. Upon our arrival, we were greeted with orange jumpsuits and told to put our dirty clothes in bags we would be given when quarantine ended. There’s nothing like orange jumpsuits and the loss of your personal possessions to really set off the covid-quarantine experience.
Myself and four other guys, three bunk beds, six lockers, plus a few chairs. No books, magazines, or newspapers. No TV’s or radios. It was….an experience of boredom and forced tranquility. I made it through even better than I thought I would. I’ve learned much in the past months, and those lessons served me well through the restrictions put on us while we waited out our 11 days. Yes, you are correct; CDC guidelines are 5 days for asymptomatic vaccinated individuals. File that one under “things out of your control that you should let go of.”
This book creates space to ponder the grueling aspects of survival, the unknowns of the future, and the fight for one’s life in the mountains. It provided ample perspective for me in a situation where I otherwise may have been inclined to complain. Instead of fighting for my life in freezing cold conditions while sleeping ten feet away from my deceased friends and family members, I was in Federal Prison, stuck in a small room with absolutely nothing to do. I was provided three meals daily, and the space was reasonably warm. My family is safe, and my friends are safe. Anyone on that chartered flight would have gladly traded places with me. Thinking of them, thinking of this story, kept me almost unreasonably calm and high-spirited about the circumstances I found myself in.
Every Friday, the BOP provides fish for lunch. Baked fish Friday’s they call it. All of us are as excited about Federal Prison fish as you can imagine. I don’t know what type of fish it is, but I know it smells rancid and tastes almost as bad as it smells. A warm welcome to the coming weekend. I am, however, grateful for the meal. In this case, I thought about who else would be thankful for that meal. Likely, those trying to survive a plane crash who had to resort to eating the flesh, muscles, and organs of their friends. To them, fish Friday would have been the most glorious of meals. The downside to my positive attitude adjustment about Fish Fridays is something I have to live with – it’s now even harder to eat because of an awareness that it’s better than what I will refer to as an ‘alternative protein source.’
I understand that comes across as creepy, but once you read this book and walk through this story of survival, it leaves an imprint on your soul. Any queasy thoughts that arise from the circumstances that led to the team taking the action they did to survive are outweighed by the peace the author has found, not in spite of the accident, but through it. He crafts a beautiful way of looking at the challenges we’ve faced in the past and the parts of our lives that didn’t go the way we hoped. That we can live a good life not in vengeance of what we have gone through but because of it.