Up, up and away

My back hurts. My eyes hurt. And my fingers hurt.

Thank goodness it’s Friday, for me at least. I’m off of work tomorrow and heading to Seattle at 8:00 am, and my mini vacation couldn’t have come at a better time. The past four days have felt like four years for some reason, and I’m looking forward to some fun and a change of scenery, but mostly, I’m looking forward to the airport.

I haven’t flown in months, and it’s one of my very favorite things to do. I love everything about it. I love the early morning taxi ride to the airport while the city is just waking up for work or still huddled beneath warm blankets, hitting the snooze button. I love checking my bags and taking the escalator up to security. I love smiling at all the other early-morning travelers as they yawn and pull their luggage along behind them. I love standing in line for my Starbucks breakfast and trying to figure out where everyone is from or where they’re off to.

And once I get all cozy in my window seat with my blanket and pillow, I love watching the men load the luggage down below and trying to spot mine in the rainbow-colored pile. I never do. And it always makes me a bit nervous.

I love the pilot’s voice as he welcomes everyone aboard. I love watching the flight attendants demonstrate the safety belts and show us all where the exits are with their perfectly choreographed hand motions. I love the unsettling feeling I get when we start rolling into our take-off position. And I love when we blast off into the air, headed for an adventure somewhere far away from here, however short of an adventure it may be.

It makes me happy just thinking about it. There was a time in my life when I thought I’d never set foot on an airplane. Just the idea terrified me. I suppose that just goes to show you we should try everything at least once, even the things we absolutely know we’ll hate. They just might turn out to be our very favorites.

Have a great weekend, everyone! I’ll be back on Monday, hopefully with some fun tales from my three-day Seattle get-a-way!