Liftoffs and Landings

I was on my way to NYC...Normally I get an aisle, but this time was a rare window seat.  As the plane turned to line up for take off I got a quick glimpse of the long runway.... It was a powerful image and struck me as completely thrilling as I put myself in the shoes of the pilot.  To know you are about to thunder down this little strip of land with this massive machine with all these souls aboard and lift off through some magic called physics and aerodynamics up into the clouds.  Pretty impressive feeling I imagined....

I wondered if they feel the same exuberance for landings...or would it be a bit more like anxiety... that twinge of butterflies that I could only dream would be there... Somehow finding that little spot and bringing everyone home safely must be a daunting feeling.  Which one would be the greater experience?  Maybe it isn't right to compare.  They both are their own thing.

I found myself musing about liftoffs and landings.... and life.  Most of the times liftoffs are about going somewhere....maybe somewhere new, exciting, full of opportunity and adventure.....freedom from feeling bound or tethered.

Landings are about returning... maybe for some it feels like coming home.....coming back to what is known, what is stable. Maybe even to what knows us..... embracing us back into its fold.  Sometimes it might feel like the ending of an adventure, and the transition back to the inevitability of responsibility, structure and the stark reality of routine.  Sometimes it can be as exciting to come back home.....We all love adventure, we also love home.....The familiar patterns and smells, the hugs from kids and dogs, the familiar feel of the the house.  Landings give us both these.

I've experienced some amazing liftoffs and landings this year.  I have explored new places both geographically and figuratively in ways I never expected.  I have seen sights, tasted food, felt the soul of many cities.  More importantly I have met many new people and have made a few special friends.

And it is this little stretch of land is the place that makes all the arrivals and all the departures all happen....The runway.  It sits silently waiting patiently... in between, creating the necessary space for both to occur.

If in the twilight of memory we should meet once more, we shall speak again together and you shall sing to me a deeper song