Monday's blog
We didn't snap any new photos this weekend, and took it kind of slow, which was nice. Thus, I will put up a rare post not about the kids. I jotted this note down at some point during one of my flights I was on for work, and figured I would go ahead and post it now.
For all too many people, their only experience with flying will be in those greyhound buses of the sky, packed in like cattle- enduring delays, cramped spaces, hustle and bustle, loud overwhelming moments of rushing from one spot to another contrasted by endless stretches of boredom confined to a seat. Even when you glance out the windows and see clouds stretching underneath into the horizon, or watch the sun set as you turn final for landing, you are still constrained to a 3x2 space of blurry, dirty window. However, in that one space of time, that one moment, you can almost taste what you should be seeing and feeling, but then it is gone.
I have been sadly absent from flying since I got my pilot’s license, but even with my limited time I have been shown a world that is far more peaceful, far more powerful and far more amazing than I would have ever imagined. There is a simple beauty to flying- beyond all the technology and weather reports, checklists, procedures and things to know, there is a simple, elegant beauty in seeing our world from a new perspective.
Pilot Officer Magee, who wrote High Flight, truly knew what it felt like. Much like commercial airline travel, I had always read this poem fast and furious, anxious to get to the end. I never took the time to see what was being painted in his words- now I do. I encourage you to read it and imagine, feel each line for all it is; don’t just rush to the end. I also encourage you to check out the following site, this producer has captured the essence of what it is to fly.
Flying Full Circle is a short 10 min film you can watch on line. There is also an intro sequence to One Six Right, a full length documentary about general aviation. I plan to watch it in its entirety very soon. It may be just me, but I hope somewhere in all this, the wonder filled kid in you can see out of your grown up eyes and bring back a sense of magic and amazement that may have been covered up by time.
For all too many people, their only experience with flying will be in those greyhound buses of the sky, packed in like cattle- enduring delays, cramped spaces, hustle and bustle, loud overwhelming moments of rushing from one spot to another contrasted by endless stretches of boredom confined to a seat. Even when you glance out the windows and see clouds stretching underneath into the horizon, or watch the sun set as you turn final for landing, you are still constrained to a 3x2 space of blurry, dirty window. However, in that one space of time, that one moment, you can almost taste what you should be seeing and feeling, but then it is gone.
I have been sadly absent from flying since I got my pilot’s license, but even with my limited time I have been shown a world that is far more peaceful, far more powerful and far more amazing than I would have ever imagined. There is a simple beauty to flying- beyond all the technology and weather reports, checklists, procedures and things to know, there is a simple, elegant beauty in seeing our world from a new perspective.
Pilot Officer Magee, who wrote High Flight, truly knew what it felt like. Much like commercial airline travel, I had always read this poem fast and furious, anxious to get to the end. I never took the time to see what was being painted in his words- now I do. I encourage you to read it and imagine, feel each line for all it is; don’t just rush to the end. I also encourage you to check out the following site, this producer has captured the essence of what it is to fly.
Flying Full Circle is a short 10 min film you can watch on line. There is also an intro sequence to One Six Right, a full length documentary about general aviation. I plan to watch it in its entirety very soon. It may be just me, but I hope somewhere in all this, the wonder filled kid in you can see out of your grown up eyes and bring back a sense of magic and amazement that may have been covered up by time.
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