Relative Something

Flying is amazing. I think the majority of the world takes flying for granted. For the first half of my life, I had no experience with commercial air travel. Since then, I’ve had what I consider to be ample opportunities. I feel like I have both perspectives.

If you never fly, it really doesn’t hold much meaning. You remain oblivious to all the nuances of activity related to being a customer of the airline industry. For that reason, I include in that majority group who take flying for granted, those who don’t fly. It’s not like they can hold an opinion that flying doesn’t happen. It happens, and they don’t get to participate, so the end result becomes something along the lines of disregard.

On the other extreme, there are those who fly so frequently, it appears equivalent to stepping on a city bus. The wonder of it all is gone. They come to expect the whole operation to serve them without hassle. It becomes a minor inconvenience in their larger goal of traveling long distances.

Meanwhile, there are clouds to see from above, where the sun shines down upon them. The ground becomes a tapestry of geometric shapes defined by roads, rivers, farms, and communities. Sleek machines with jet engines roar to life and then float along to a mesmerizing hum. Worlds of people come and go, mixing culture and commerce at an insane pace. You can find yourself in two different parts of the world, in the very same day.

The middle group of people, those who don’t fly often, are the likely ones to find the experience still a remarkable one. For me, as amazing as it is to fly, I get a little disoriented by it. Getting home last night was nice for all the reasons it is good to get home again, but it is a little freaky to have been sitting in the Florida sunshine at 3:00 and then in the time it takes to watch a movie and have a little nap, find myself back in my kitchen in Minnesota.

I’m happy to trade the luxury of frequent flyer miles for my comforts of home. I guess it is easy to say when I know I already have tickets reserved for a flight to Portugal in the fall. I certainly won’t take for granted that opportunity to fly. It will be worth the challenge of managing the disorientation.