In the last few weeks I had the opportunity to do something I hadn’t done in over a year – fly on an airplane. I know I will sound pretty darn privileged when I say this, but until last year, I had taken flying for granted. I didn’t necessarily fly monthly, but I was definitely flying multiple times a year. At least enough for me to think I flew often enough to know the process pretty well. Fast forward to the last few weeks, and I was actually kind of nervous to get back on a plane because it had seemed so long. With that feeling, however, I knew that the sooner I got on a plane the better. No sense delaying something that gets me to all of the fun places I want to go!
As I went to the airport, went through security, waited for my flight, and boarded the plane, I realized that not much had changed. Well, there is the whole mask wearing thing, but that shouldn’t be surprising to many people. Other than that, there was the usual good and bad. Bad – delays and the dumb excuses that came with them, the cramped nature of boarding and unboarding, and all of us carrying too much stuff. Good – lots of time to read, time to relax, and getting somewhere way faster than driving. As silly as it sounds, riding a plane felt to me like the old cliche of riding a bicycle – once you have learned how to do it you will be able to get back on a bike at any stage of life and be able to ride one. Being on my flights felt no different after that first take off and while we were in the air. It was good to be reunited…but it was ok.