And We Have Lift Off

Ever since I was a kid, I could never sleep the night before an early morning flight. The excitement of going on holiday was too strong and won over the weaker need for sleep. This has not changed as I have grown older but arguably not so much wiser, as nothing can get me to sleep before a journey to the airport.

I can rest my eyes temporarily on the car or train
to the abode of the plane
but when I arrive, all tiredness is temporarily slayed.
I scan the departure boards for the fine grain that is my flight number,
And I’m ready to go whether its noon or night, July or December.

As I am all too familiarised with the safety information, my attention usually begins to wane to the window when on the plane. My 6:50am flight to Brussels in early January was the perfect time for me to see a fiery red tinged sunset across the sky. It was bold, defiant in its bright glow against the concrete jungle and city lights of London.

There was no turbulence as we took off, just the smooth rumble of the plane gliding off from the runway. As we were elevated above the cotton ball like clouds, a smile stretched across my face. As I looked out into the early morning sunrise, I felt a sense of calm within the world, with which I could float away and eagerly, awaited the excitement that would come when I touched back onto the ground.

You see the glorious view stretched out in front of you.
Think of the adventure before you, whether in Park Avenue or Peru.
And before you know it, the glorious pink sunrise has transformed into a sky of powder blue.
You drift higher and higher, now amongst the feathery like clouds,
And feel at one with the enigma outside of the plane, forgetting about the inside crowd.

After the general hubbub of landing, racing to switch on my phone and struggling to remove my suitcase from the overhead compartment, I yearned to be past customs and on a bus to my destination. Once on there, my eyes were peeled to take in the new sights, ears open to take in the language of the land and an increase in adrenaline to power my exploration of this novel place for the rest of the day…after freshening up at the hostel and a slight intake of caffeine of course.