Above the Clouds…

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Like a lot of people, I have an innate nervousness about flying. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t like flying, it’s just the thought of plummeting from the sky in a large steel object filled with aviation fuel is pretty hard for my rational mind to ignore.

The only way I can reconcile this risk with my mind is to explain that in exchange for taking this risk, we get to see the world from the heavens. And ever since seeing an IMAX film showing images of Earth 30 years ago at the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, my mind absolutely LOVES aerial images and seeing the world from above. Therefore, my mind has accepted this trade-off, since it believes the benefits outweigh the risks. (Yes, my highly evolved brain is happy to risk death for a good view.)

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But there is another aspect of flying that I love, and that has to do with perspective. As the plane takes off, we leave the hustle and bustle of life behind. Things on the ground start to look smaller and that world goes mute. We then start to ascend through the weather – the ride is sometimes rough and rainy, but often a little exhilarating as the acceleration pushes you back into your seat.

Just before you think you are going to spend the rest of the flight struggling to keep your cup of tea upright, the plane pops out above the clouds, and all that is our daily experience is left behind.

It doesn’t matter that below there are a million lives, a million dramas, a millions smiles, a million heartbreaks, and a million raindrops. Up above the clouds there is just blue sky, sunlight and the tips of snowy mountains.

Sometimes we can get so caught up in our lives and everything going on around us, that we forget there is a place we can go that is unaffected by all that goes on. A place where we can distance ourselves from the drama. A place of calm, peace, and quiet.

This place is inside us. This place can give us the reprieve and perspective we need to continue. This place is above our everyday lives… above the clouds.

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Photo Credits:
Wing photo by Pixabay from Pexels
Night lights photo by Eberhard Grossgasteiger from Pexels
Cloud photo by Tetyana Kovyrina from Pexels

 

44 thoughts on “Above the Clouds…”

  2. Hi Wendy! Normally I like flying, but lately I’ve found myself unusually nervous when there’s bad turbulence and I’m gripping onto my arm-rests thinking ‘this is it!’ I flew last week and it was awful – boozy rowdy passengers and the captain announcing /shouting ‘do you want to go down in a ball of flames?’ as they told someone off for SMOKING in the toilets… I couldn’t get off fast enough. No inner peace/switching off on that flight 😉

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    • Seriously?? That’s terrible! I can’t believe the captain said that! And who on Earth still smokes in the toilets? It may help to remember that you are safer travelling in a plane than in a car, and we don’t usually worry about that.
      I still can’t believe what the captain said…

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    • Thank you! My photographic skills are rather rudimentary, but getting to choose the photo I wish I could take from Pexels has to be the next best thing 😀 I love being “above the clouds”, but do find it hard to stay there 😣 Thank you for your lovely comment and kind words xx

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  4. I totally agree about the perspective, it really makes sense. When I am flying, that’s the thing that always amazes me during take off and landing. For me, I correlate it with the way I think – there’s a bigger something out there that I should be bothered of – than complaining about my painful zit in my left underarm which I have it now. 🙂

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  5. What a wonderful account of how you see the world from above, and of your fear of falling from the sky. Because, as you mentioned your not afraid of flying itself, its the crashing that scares you, lol. Can you believe my first time on a plane was about ten years ago? And I’ve only flown three times since then. I’m with you on this one, I’m not afraid of flying, it’s the falling out of the sky in this ginormous piece of machinery that scares me. Great post Wendy! 😉

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    • Yeah, gravity sucks 🤪 I’m actually surprised that there are people out there in this modern age with so little air miles under their belt, so you are not the only one. Thanks for your cool comment! 😊

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  7. I’ve always loved flying and you explain so well that feeling of leaving everything behind and rising to another (unearthly?) level. Travel of any kind sort of takes you away from your own ‘reality’ but going up in a plane, that’s something else! Well done for your trade-off.

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    • Exactly. When I go on holiday, I don’t really feel like I’ve escaped until those engines kick in and we’re screaming (excuse the pun) down the runway. 😲

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    • Thank you. I wasn’t sure people would get it, but it’s had a really positive response, so it’s reassuring to know I’m not completely nuts – just a little 🤪

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  10. I love this! For the same reasons, one of my favorite places in NYC is the top of the Empire State Building. It transcends the chaos below and provides a peaceful perspective from the clouds. The building itself is also magnificent.

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    • I’ve actually been there, about 28 years ago (wow, seems like yesterday). The view was amazing, and it provided such a wonderful overview of the city. I see why you like it! 😊

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  12. Love this post Wendy 😊 I’ve never enjoyed flying much as even as a child when I didn’t know enough to be afraid, I got horrible travel sickness. Now I no longer get sick (thank goodness), but I still feel it’s kind of unnatural to fly. However, I do tolerate it as I know I can get to places otherwise difficult to reach in a decent time frame! I think for me taking off and landing are the moments I least like. Up in the air, however, I feel quite calm and like you describe, it’s easier to gain perspective and even find some peace from troubles. Looking down at the tiny roads and cities and flying over mountains and seas really does offer a natural way of distancing yourself from struggles. ❤️

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    • Funny how peoples experiences are so similar, but different in other ways. I love the take off, but landing feels weird as the plane slow down. My ears also go funny on landing, so can be pretty painful 😢 Thanks for your lovely comment 😃

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  13. Next time I fly I am going to use that technique of reasoning with myself, I don’t mind flying but when the turbulence hits, I just want to be on the ground….but in a good way 🙂 Love your second photo – so lovely. x

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