Bliss of the Grid

I normally don't get window seats on airplanes because it is too much of a hassle to have to continually ask someone to move when I have to go to the bathroom. However, this trip I was lucky enough to sit in seat 1A on a Regional Jet which is both a window and an aisle seat. There were only six passengers on a plane built to hold almost 40 so it was a nice and relaxed atmosphere in which to fly home.

As we took off from Chattanooga, I looked down at the beautiful rolling hills and river spreading before me and thought about how serene and peaceful things were from up above. All the problems and roadblocks that seem so insurmountable from on the ground don't seem to matter while you're up in the air. Once we were sky born, I looked down and it was as if a sea of white foam was holding our aircraft aloft. Despite knowing scientifically that the white foam was really just condensed water, I was enchanted by its beauty.

The flight was quiet and uneventful and as we approached Chicago, I looked out the window and saw the majesty of the sun setting over a beautiful sky blue pink landscape. The clouds formed a bed into which the sun was slowly sinking. The glistening gold of the sun was picked up and reflected a million times over by the glistening white clouds.

As we descended through the clouds it was as if we were swaddled by white cotton and when we emerged on the other side, we were greeted by a glistening grid of lights spreading out as far as the eye could see. It was as if a net of diamonds had been spread below us to welcome us home. Our landing was smooth as silk and once on the tarmac, I looked out in wonder at the sizes and shapes of all the planes around us.

Although I fly at least once a month, there is still something magically blissful about being at the airport and wondering where all the planes have come from and where they're going. It helps me remember that there is a huge world out there to explore.