Unplugged

There’s something magical about flying at night. Not the battle with TSA, screaming-kids-and-lost-luggage type of flying, but rather, the actual act of being up in a plane at night. It’s quiet since lots of folks are sleeping, the cabin is dark and all you can see are hundreds of thousands of lights below you when you pass over a city. This is my favorite time. Without necessarily making a conscious decision, I usually find myself with my headphones plugged in and letting my mind wander. Sure, I have my book, my laptop or a movie ready to go, but I almost always find myself putting all that down and just being. This is my time to just be in my own world. It saddens me that planes now come equipped with wifi. Flying time is (was?) the last space it’s okay for you to be disconnected. With so many things to do and to distract me from just being, I’m not very good at unplugging and taking time to let my mind wander. This is one of the places where it seems to come naturally, and the soothing darkness and white noise seem to be a perfect combination for me to reconnect with myself. Where are you when you can just be?