Confession: Whenever the sheer number of people in this world starts to come into focus — even in the tiniest way — it freaks me out. I would say that it causes heart palpitations, but that’s not entirely true…though it does seem to cause somewhat of the emotional equivalent. Confusion. Concern. I catch my breath when […]
In March of 2012, I wrote a post about one of my best friends who was moving across the country for a new job. It seems like just yesterday we said goodbye. Just yesterday I was crying my eyes out, just yesterday I was wondering when we’d see each other again, just yesterday I was […]
Who remembers Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey? My favorite went something like this: “If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let ’em go — because man…they’re gone.” I was standing in the TSA line this morning at LAX. Terminal 3, to be exact — the same place where the TSA […]
The shadows began growing longer by the time we were over Kansas. It’s been years since I’ve visited the state, but it still managed to appear equally calm and pleasant from above. No time to visit today, though. I’m making my way further east. A haze was settling over the landscape below, and something about […]
Have you ever kept something that had special meaning, filed it away, then come across it years later? I do this a lot. I’ll keep birthday, Easter and Christmas cards, cards from my parents to my cat so that I can look back on them someday and count on a smile coming across my face […]
I saw an owl tonight, and it was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in a long time. The faintest bit of light remained in the sky, and in a matter of minutes the trees would be silhouetted against a dark night. But I could clearly see the treetops, and something was circling overhead. With […]
There’s no sensation to compare with this. Suspended animation, a state of bliss. It’s hard for me to find the right words when it comes to describing how I feel at 36,000 feet — or at most altitudes, really — but Pink Floyd’s “Learning to Fly” is a good start. It has a few lines […]
I’ve always been fascinated by the moon. Its beauty is something that’s magical and captivating, and I’ve been under its spell ever since I was a child. I asked for a telescope one year for Christmas, maybe around the age of 7 or 8. I was certain it would take the moon to new heights […]
There’s nothing I enjoy doing more on an airplane than taking advantage of a cheese and fruit plate, accompanied by a glass of wine or cocktail. The elements may not be of the highest quality, but…hello — I’m on a plane. In the air. Watching the world go by. And there are delicious delights resting […]
A pre-flight wine flight did wonders for my acceptance of our delayed departure. The seat-back digital button pusher and screaming infant immediately behind me, however, were trying my patience. The storm was moving in quickly and, despite the crew’s urging to board swiftly in order to beat the weather, the usual passenger dawdling ensued. As […]
Thanky 