Watchin Airplanes

Have you ever just sat and watched airplanes take off and fly? Or maybe you’ve sat by the tracks and watched as train after train passed by? I have and every time I do I’m left in a state of awe, because it’s such a beautiful thing to me. I’m not quite sure why, but every time I see a plane flying or a train traveling down the tracks it always sets me off on a long spiral of day dreams. I know it seems a bit ridiculous, but I love to day dream (what can I say I’ve always been a dreamer and always will be) maybe that’s why planes and trains are so beautiful to me…..or maybe it’s the countless mysteries they hold.

At first glance you may think a plane is just a plane and that a train simply a train, but you have to look deeper to see the mystery, you have to look closer to see the diamond in the dust. Every time I’m stopped at the tracks waiting for a train to pass or I look up and see a plane darting across the sky, I instantly begin wondering about the mysteries they hold. Where are they traveling to? How many passengers are there? What are the passengers like? Are they going on vacation? Maybe there is a soldier finally returning to his family? Perhaps there are some newlyweds on their way to a romantic honeymoon? Is one of the passengers is running away from their problems and off to a better life? 

These are just the first few questions that cross my mind, and then the day dreams begin. I dream the plane I saw is traveling to Italy, there’s an open seat, which is perfect because I’ve always wanted to go to Italy. Everyone on the plane is full of excitement, just waiting for the plane to land so their next adventure can begin. A young couple is sitting in the front row eagerly discussing their plans for their stay in the beautiful country; they’ve been planning this trip for years.  They will begin in Venice where they will take a gondola ride under The Bridge of Sighs, and tour St. Marks Square. Next they’ll visit the Coliseum in Rome, the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, the ruins of Pompeii, and the beautiful waters of Capri. Finally they will finish off their trip by touring the beautiful vineyards of Tuscany.

Whoosh……

I’m off on another day dream, maybe the plane is returning from Afghanistan carrying a soldier who is finally returning to his family after a long prayerful year. His family awaits his return at the airport with a big banner and tears in their eyes, just thankful to be able to hug him again. Brothers and sisters eagerly waiting to see his smile and hear his voice, glad that their hero is finally home.

Whoosh….

The plane is traveling to California, carrying a teacher to a conference. On the plane he is calm and collected studying his notes and making corrections, and then he notices the nervous young girl next to him. He starts up a conversation to make her feel more comfortable, this is her first plane ride and she is traveling to see her big sister who moved away after graduation. She is still nervous, so the teacher tells her all about his daughter back home who is about the same age; she’s loves playing sports and has such a big caring heart. The teacher and girl continue to talk until the plane lands and reaches the gate; he helps her get her bag down and the kindly part ways never to see each other again.

I’ve found my way to the train tracks now, just as a 42 car train begins to pass by. Artists or vandals have been to work on this one, maybe both depending on how you see it. Each car that passes is different, beautiful, tasteful and artistic graffiti covering the sides. In the first car there is a mother with her teenage son, they’ve never been on a train before. Neither shows it, but they’re both enthralled. The son pressing his face against the glass of the window trying to get a better view of the graffiti, wishing he could open the door and lean out feeling the rushing wind in his face. The mother is taking careful pictures of everything that interests her, captivated by the beautiful country side racing by outside and her son’s funny fascination with being so close to the window. Silently they are both thankful they get to experience the adventure together.

Whoosh….

A few cars down an old drifter just lugged himself into the open door; he rolls onto his back exhausted. No idea where this train will lead, but it will be somewhere new, somewhere he hasn’t seen yet. He’s been hopping trains since he was in his twenties and traveled with a carnival. Those days long gone, now he’s just looking for a place to belong.

Whoosh….

Another car down a young woman sits, she’s never done anything like this before, but she just had to get away. She’s wanted to leave that town for as long as she can remember she craved more in her life than the boring repetition of her waitressing job and long line of guys who would never really care. The big fight with her so called friends was just the push she needed. Now she’s finally free and she’s dreaming big. As she sits alone with her thoughts a young man watches her, captivated not only by her beauty, but by something else he can’t quite put his finger on. It’s something different than all the other girls he sees each day, something deeper, something pure. He sits across the aisle pondering how to start a conversation. He talks himself into it, then out of it again. Finally, something inside him musters up enough courage and he sits down beside her and says hello, she lost in her thought is startled and can only respond with a blushing smile. They soon begin to laugh and talk like they had never been strangers.

Whoosh…

The train is gone and I’m brought back to reality, frozen in a state of awe. A smile instantly comes to my face as I think of all the mysteries planes and trains bring. For a moment I was able to escape the reality of day to day life and just wonder about the unseen possibilities these mysterious machines hold.  Sometimes I wonder if anyone else is sent into a spiral of day dreaming by the big, beautiful machines or maybe it’s just me. Whatever the case, I love that it happens to me.

 

(Photo by Jordan Bader)