The picture, left, was taken at 35,000 feet as I winged my way to New Orleans, one of my favorite places on the planet. And while it's completely awe-inspiring to see and experience the wonders of the surface, there's just something magical about escaping gravity.
When we escape the Earth's constant pull, we suddenly feel free. And there is simply nothing quite like it. Though there are those who are afraid to fly, once you set aside the illusion of permanence, you can embrace the experience, opening your mind to a myriad of possibilities.
Everything seems so small when looking down. Even cities as BIG as New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Paris are mere hiccups. Tall buildings--so called "Sky scrapers"--aren't terribly imposing anymore. In fact, nothing is. All of our roads, housing tracts, factories, marinas, railroads...they barely scratch the surface. But what is impressive, even from 35,000 feet, are natural formations like the Rockies or the Grand Canyon or the Pacific Ocean.
Yesterday, I stood on the edge of one of those impressive natural formations, looking down into a valley likely carved out by giant floating chunks of prehistoric ice a millennia ago, Just like the valley itself, a sense of peace was carved into my soul by the raw power of the natural world. The wind blew through the surrounding trees, telling me its secrets. Wisps of white effortlessly floated against an azure sky. The sound of spring peepers caught my ear as two hawks riding the thermals simultaneously caught my eye. It felt like the perfect symphony, a harmony of sight, sound, taste, and touch. And I was a part of that beautiful music somehow. Witnessing a moment in time that no other human would know or see or experience again. Like the sunset in the picture above.
Tomorrow, I'll conquer a new mountain. No matter how chaotic my life is, how confused, how messy, the wind still whispers its secrets in my ear. The trees still stretch their arms up into the sky. The mountains will still stand tall against the echoes of time and space. The Sun will still shine. The Moon will still turn a watery eye to Earth as our light temporarily trades one hemisphere for another.
Changes in the human world are irrelevant. Even death doesn't affect nature. Humanity puts on a show for itself; we wish to feel more important than we are. We want to matter as much as the mountains, as much as the oceans, as much as the Sun. We are jealous of the winged hawks who ride the wind without wearing a seatbelt or spending hundreds (sometimes thousands) to do so. We want to be as tall as trees so stretch our buildings even taller in our efforts to be a permanent part of this world. Make our mark. For posterity.
But escaping gravity provides perspective. Whatever your quibbles, queries, and questions, seeing the Ozarks from the sky down quiets it all. Being literally high is grounding. And the next time you decide to climb a mountain, or a mole hill, the experience will stick with you. Nothing really matters, and that's okay. The only thing left is #LOVE. And when you feel like giving up on everything else, #LOVE is that giant prehistoric iceberg cooling the volatile volcanic croppings in your world. You become as strong and as tall as a mountain. You can stretch your arms high into the sky. You spread your wings and ride the thermals of life, circling the clouds with a partner who can do the same.
When you let #LOVE guide you, the world, and everything in it, opens up in a way most humans will never have a chance to know, see or experience. Do whatever necessary to achieve that. You will find the same peace I did standing on the edge of a mountain, except, you'll never have to your way back down.
Good luck out there. You're not alone...it just feels like it sometimes.
When we escape the Earth's constant pull, we suddenly feel free. And there is simply nothing quite like it. Though there are those who are afraid to fly, once you set aside the illusion of permanence, you can embrace the experience, opening your mind to a myriad of possibilities.
Everything seems so small when looking down. Even cities as BIG as New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Paris are mere hiccups. Tall buildings--so called "Sky scrapers"--aren't terribly imposing anymore. In fact, nothing is. All of our roads, housing tracts, factories, marinas, railroads...they barely scratch the surface. But what is impressive, even from 35,000 feet, are natural formations like the Rockies or the Grand Canyon or the Pacific Ocean.
Yesterday, I stood on the edge of one of those impressive natural formations, looking down into a valley likely carved out by giant floating chunks of prehistoric ice a millennia ago, Just like the valley itself, a sense of peace was carved into my soul by the raw power of the natural world. The wind blew through the surrounding trees, telling me its secrets. Wisps of white effortlessly floated against an azure sky. The sound of spring peepers caught my ear as two hawks riding the thermals simultaneously caught my eye. It felt like the perfect symphony, a harmony of sight, sound, taste, and touch. And I was a part of that beautiful music somehow. Witnessing a moment in time that no other human would know or see or experience again. Like the sunset in the picture above.
Tomorrow, I'll conquer a new mountain. No matter how chaotic my life is, how confused, how messy, the wind still whispers its secrets in my ear. The trees still stretch their arms up into the sky. The mountains will still stand tall against the echoes of time and space. The Sun will still shine. The Moon will still turn a watery eye to Earth as our light temporarily trades one hemisphere for another.
Changes in the human world are irrelevant. Even death doesn't affect nature. Humanity puts on a show for itself; we wish to feel more important than we are. We want to matter as much as the mountains, as much as the oceans, as much as the Sun. We are jealous of the winged hawks who ride the wind without wearing a seatbelt or spending hundreds (sometimes thousands) to do so. We want to be as tall as trees so stretch our buildings even taller in our efforts to be a permanent part of this world. Make our mark. For posterity.
But escaping gravity provides perspective. Whatever your quibbles, queries, and questions, seeing the Ozarks from the sky down quiets it all. Being literally high is grounding. And the next time you decide to climb a mountain, or a mole hill, the experience will stick with you. Nothing really matters, and that's okay. The only thing left is #LOVE. And when you feel like giving up on everything else, #LOVE is that giant prehistoric iceberg cooling the volatile volcanic croppings in your world. You become as strong and as tall as a mountain. You can stretch your arms high into the sky. You spread your wings and ride the thermals of life, circling the clouds with a partner who can do the same.
When you let #LOVE guide you, the world, and everything in it, opens up in a way most humans will never have a chance to know, see or experience. Do whatever necessary to achieve that. You will find the same peace I did standing on the edge of a mountain, except, you'll never have to your way back down.
Good luck out there. You're not alone...it just feels like it sometimes.
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