I just got back from taking a plane ride, and had fun with airport security.

We were in Omaha and my bag went through the scanners, when the inspector indicated that my bag needed to be opened for examination. I knew that there was nothing inappropriate in the bag, so I had to think, and then I said, "Oh, I bet it's the singing bowl."

"The what?"

I reached into the bag and pulled out my singing bowl and mallet, as I explained, "I rub a mallet around the outside of the bowl and it makes a soothing tone." I had a hand towel stuffed into the bowl, presumably to deaden the sound of the bowl in transport, but actually because I prefer to have a towel with me when I travel, and always know where the towel is.

The guard running the inspection machine called out, "No, that's not what I saw."

The inspector who opened the bag said, "Ooh, I want to see you do this."

I played the bowl, and all the security people stopped in awe of the beautiful tone. I explained that it was a meditation device. They let me go with their thanks for playing it for them.

I'm not sure what it was that they actually were looking for in the bag. I know for sure that their equipment couldn't have seen through the bowl to see if there had been anything in the towel. We laughed about it for the rest of the trip. From now on, I will always travel with a singing bowl.