The joy of the window seat
Traveling is a joy that seems to intensify as I get older. It can be 2 weeks trekking through Patagonia, a week in OBX, or a long week in NYC to eat unique food and do a ton of yoga. Traveling not only refuels me, it inspires me to get outside of my comfort zone. If I’m solo, with my husband Rob, a group of gal pals or for a yoga retreat, the adventure is not just in the place, it’s about getting there and back. It’s the spaces between point A and B in the travel process that interests me. The perspective shift, the reframe.
I don’t think travel is about escaping your current life back home. If that’s the case, you might want to look at changes to create a life that you look forward to returning to with a fresh set of eyes. For me, travel is about pushing my boundaries, discovering something new and seeing the world with reverence for the wild, weird and wonderful place it is.
When I travel by plane or train I love to sit in the window seat if I can. I get to see the larger view of the world before I see it up-close. Nearly every time on landing and takeoff when I’m in a plane I think, “hot damn, I can’t believe humans do this everyday!” We get a giant tin can to leave the ground and travel distances in mere hours that used to take days if not months. How cool is that?! Think of all the people that have to work together just so I can go somewhere else. The system is truly fascinating to me and one I am grateful for.
Sitting in the window seat has allowed me to see tropical islands, the Rocky Mountains, deserts, frozen tundras, bodies of water in a variety of sizes and the bright lights of cities. I’ve even seen wildfires flying over Montana which was as tragic as it was awe-inspiring. Rob will watch 2+ movies on a flight and read while I am staring out the window listening to music / audio book / podcast. To me, that is the most amazing movie, what could be more incredible than seeing our earth from above.
I realize that when I’m in the air flying over these places the trees, cars, humans and everything underneath me are having a totally different experience. They are living their lives on the ground as I’m living mine in the sky. I scale out and think of all the humans in the world, all their joys and triumphs, all the pain and sorrow. Folks laughing with friends and folks that are lonely and wish they were laughing with friends. I see the earth from the plane but without seeing individual people I can only guess at their experiences. This gives me a change to build empathy and compassion.
When we zoom out and think of our short time on this planet perhaps we act with greater consciousness. This might be eating less animal products, buying less things we don’t really need or speaking more kindly to people. Maybe at 30,000 feet you realize how small your problems are in the grand scheme of time and space and that you can be more gentle with yourself as well as others. I know I am just one tiny part of this weird planet and it inspires me to act from a place of authenticity. It inspires me to see the joys in both the macro and the micro. I am grateful to have this experience.
Journal prompts / pause for reflection:
What is the best view you have seen from a plane? Describe how you felt as you were witnessing this view
Where would be the most interesting place to fly over?
How might seeing the world from above inspire you to see the world on the ground a bit differently?