When did it happen? When did I start choosing the aisle seat? And why? Is it really just for the convenience of getting to the restroom?
I fly almost weekly now, but that wasn’t always the case, needless to say. I flew for the first time, at the age of 11, to California. I can still feel the build-up of excitement before that vacation, and I remember wanting just one thing: to look out the window of that plane. Well, and to meet Mickey Mouse, which would make that two things, but I digress.
I watched a video recently, which I’ll include in this post, of two older women in their 70’s who had never flown before. They ended up on Vodafone’s First.com where, strangers at the outset, they flew together to Barcelona. Regardless of the reason that they’d never flown prior, fate brought them together to see the world from a different perspective.
Fear and lost opportunity transformed into pure magic, that’s what I see when I watch this video. It also reminds me of that kid full of wonderment on her way to Los Angeles with a fresh imagination watching cloud sculptures wave hello as the plane passed overhead.
I’m on a plane right now, but today, for a change, I chose the window seat on a three hour
flight instead of the aisle. Potty breaks be damned. I’ve already seen a giant camel, a child praying, an elephant, and a dog with a teddy bear on its back.
I needed to remind myself of how beautiful the world is from this perspective, and maybe, just maybe, how beautiful the world below can be with a different perspective, as well. I think we can become complacent to the wonders in everyday life, and that “clouds” our judgement. Seeing with new eyes, or forgotten ones in this case, is never a bad thing.
Watch this video to remind yourself of your firsts. Choose the window seat on or off the ground. Look, see, feel, and wonder once again.