03/28/2020
THE JOY OF FLYING
I don't like flying, and yet there are moments of joy and even clarity during each journey. Flying is similar to life. We each face those moments of taking off through turbulent skies. Those times when life is out of our control and uncertain and even scary. Rough bumpy patches cause our anxiety to rise and hope to plummet. Some try to ignore it until it goes away, while some grip the arm chair with white knuckles. Others use distraction by reading, watching movies or drinking. But the feel in that space, in life, is unmistakable. The air is so tense you can see it, and feel it deeply in your soul. Not even the calm voice of those in charge reassuring us that all is well, provides the needed relief. It's only when the plane rises higher and higher until it passes through the darkness, revealing the bright, warm light of calm skies, that the tension diminishes. The warm sun on your skin melts the doubt and uncertainty, and your spirit is wrapped in a calm smooth glide above what have now has become soft puffy clouds. There is something cathartic about making it safely through tough, choppy moments in life, especially with the belief that a brilliant revelation is waiting at the end. The light that keeps hope alive, warms our spirits, feeds our souls, enriches our journey and grows our character.
Then comes the decent, more turbulence and a new uncertainty Accept this time, that moment of relief is a safe landing back to the daily realities we all face. Now it's decision time. Where will we go? What path will we choose? Will we allow the storms of life to rule us or use them to be a better person? Who will we allow to navigate our journey? A journey that HOPEFULLY will lead to an eternal joy.