He looks out the window in awe, even before take off, fascinated by the loading of baggage onto the plane. He turns to his mother with a beaming smile. In flight, he keeps his eyes glued on that window, occasionally pointing out cars he sees, landscapes he wonders about. When it is all over, the pilot thanks the passengers for flying with the airline today. The 6-year-old shouts, just loud enough for a few rows back to hear, “You’re welcome. It was fun!”. A few travelers quietly laugh as he thanks his dad profusely for taking him on his first flight.
It is another routine flight for me, one I have made countless times. I wake early to pack my bags and be on my way. I arrive ridiculously early to the airport for I hate to be late for flights. Wishing it was all over, I go through an anti-climactic security process with a drone of other flyers. I wait in the waiting area, crowded and loud, as I count the minutes until boarding. The typical scene of gate hovering takes place, as the pushy block anyone’s path to the gate. I walk on to the plane and find my seat, much to the enjoyment of my seatmate who thanked me for not being obese. The plane pulls out and I fall asleep, ready to get this show on the road and be at my destination.
We all count the seconds until landing on flights. We have to push and shove to get our carry-on in the overhead bids. There is usually a screaming or ill behaved child, perhaps even a few ill behaved adults on every flight. The gates of connecting flights are announced even before landing, proof we are just moving from one place to another as efficiently as possible.
Actually flying has since transitioned into a chore for me. My heart skips a beat at a security for fear I will be singled out for some sort of intensive pat down. Once it is all over, I just can’t wait to get there. Flying has become a means of passing time, not an aspect to travel I enjoy. I get annoyed with moving walkway blockers at airports. The hoverers in the gate never cease to make my blood boil. Rude passengers, dirty seat pockets in front of you and countless hours of just waiting and sitting have lost their wonder until this flight today.
The little boy in front of me is not some ill behaved child. These kids are never mentioned in travel articles. It is always the screaming baby we moan about, never the child with unending wisdom and perspective. I witnessed a powerful moment, perhaps life changing for this young man, his first airplane ride. Not once did I hear him complain. Not once did I see him take his eyes off of the window. When it was all said and done, his attitude was still chipper as the thank-yous poured out to his parents, and even the pilot.
Over a time, I lost this wonder for flying. I used to always demand a window seat while traveling to look out the window. Now I seem to just select it to have more room and something to lean on when I fall asleep. I remember my first big flight to Europe at a young age, beginning at 8 years old. I loved the whole process. The lighting of the cabin even seemed to hold magic. Gazing out the window for the first time to a world below is indescribable. Little packets of pretzels and a backpack filled with games in travel size exuded a certain travel wonder.
As I watch this little boy appreciate every aspect to flying, I realize travelers and jaded tend to fall in the same sentence after countless flights, pushy passengers and delays filled with annoyance. Everything becomes a routine, one we hope goes by quickly, not one we grasp in flight. However, after seeing a first timer on my flight today, I am reborn in terms of flying. I am making a promise to myself to look out the window more, ignore the annoyances of travel and soak up every minute for travel should be just as that little boy concluded, fun.
Have you ever felt like flying lost its wonder for you?
Yes and no. I’m still a bit spun-out by the technology of aircrafts and how these huge metal and plastic behemoths stay in the air and take us from points A to B (yes, I know that is rather unsophisticated of me). But I dread flying. Even when we have the opportunity to fly business class there is still a lot to hate about it – the crowded airports, disorganization, unruly children. I used to always want the window seat, too. I don’t think I got jaded to flying until I was in my late 20s. Many airlines leave much to be desired. The only way I could hate it more would be having more flights in the US…last time we were there the security situation was tough – I can’t imagine what it’s like now with the pat-downs.
Among my friends, I’m the one that takes most number of flights per year (up to today… I’d say I’ve taken around 30 already – many miles!). I’m the kind that will arrive as late as possible. I’ve never been separated for a personal check. And I’ve only missed very few flights in my life (it wasn’t even always my fault!).
But I got so used to flying, that I don’t really care anymore. I don’t care about the crowds.. nor do I rush out of the plane to get my luggage. I can fall asleep really quickly (I once slept for 10 hours during a 14 hour flight)! But then, I think airports in the US are far more complex than in Europe… you can’t really be there just 45 minutes before your flight, can you?
I haven’t lost my wonder yet and I hope I never will. I do get annoyed with people, but for the most part I still think flying is fun. I’m with Andrea and it always amazes me how these huge planes can fly through the air and get us safely to our destination.
Aww, I really liked this post. I agree that it is so important to view world travel, flights and all, as someplace new and exciting, just like the kid on his first flight.
(And also, like you, I dread coming back to the states because of the TSA patdowns. What a scary violation of our civil rights!)
What a great story! We should all have more little kids like that in our lives at moments when we’re feeling cynical and jaded about something. It’s nice to be reminded of the wonder of things.
Great post & very thoughtful 🙂 Until a year ago, I remember myself being glued to the window and marveling at the surreal world outside – the cloud formations, the blue sky up close, the lights in the distance. But now that I read your post, I realize that more & more, I’ve begun to move to aisle seats and begun to hope that I can sleep my way through those long journeys.
I need to get back my flying wonder too.
Absolutely loved this post! For me it was Wonder twice-over–not only the little boy’s, but the moment of grace and openness you had, in being receptive to his “message.” You had not become so jaded you rolled your eyes in response to his innocence! It was just such a “wake-up call” moment of my own that propelled me to check out of a high stress job in search of my lost Wonder…my “aha moment” became my “mission statement” in my own blog (“connecting with self, others and a sense of wonder through travel”). Look forward to reading more about future epiphanies from you!
Great post, Suzy – I used to be that little guy, too! “Everyone has pools!” (they do if you fly over Jersey…the island, not the state). I occasionally get “in awe” – if the airplane has a personal movie screen, I’ll change it so that it shows where we’re flying so I can look out of the window and say, “that’s Romania,” “that’s China”, “that’s Iraq!”
The connecting flight is where the magic is lost for me…I’m more like “let’s get this over with.” I’ll sit down, turn on a movie, and not glance out of the window once as I become zombified for 7 or 8 hours, just waiting for the final stretch to finish and hoping that baggage claim isn’t a nightmare!