Ready for Take Off

The engine is roaring as my seat begins to shake. I close my eyes and lean back trying to get control of my mind. Once we begin to ascend, I put in headphones in hopes of escaping into my memories for awhile. Images and videos quickly start streaming through my head. As I look out the window, I try imagining the British couple sitting next to me quietly reading or Kristin fast asleep on my lap. Warm tears begin softly rolling down my cheeks before reaching 10,000 feet, and for the next hour I quietly cry in my empty row. I can’t pretend. My heart knows that we’ll be landing too soon, that I’ll be back to where I started- no closer than I was landing in Vegas five months ago.

I’ve always had a fascination with planes. When I was in high school, I got into a ritual of sneaking out my bedroom window at night only to lay in the rocks and watch the stars. As each plane passed, I would imagine the people on it and their stories- where they were going, who they were leaving behind, their goodbyes and hellos. Planes are simply immersed in goodbyes and hellos. They are inevitable.

Occasionally I would pray for the people on the planes and their journeys- for the child going to see her father for the first time in years, the businessman who would be away from his family, the couple going to announce their engagement, the girl trying to start over in a new city. The stories went on and on in my mind. All of them had something in common- distance and nearness, separations and reunions.

My love for planes has only increased over the past five months. I’ve become captivated by them- their essence of uncertainty, adventure, escape. From the ground, I’ve watched them fantasizing that I’m one of the many stories some young girl is praying for- that in eight hours I’ll be landing in London only to board another plane.

The fasten seatbelt light turns on, and we begin our descent. We turn to the left allowing me to clearly see city lights for miles. I imagine them as stars lighting up the ground. The flight attendant begins going through our landing procedure and ends with “Welcome to Las Vegas." Back to reality.