For the Love of a Good Window Seat

I recently returned from a 2 ½ day work trip to Oakland, CA. The actual work aspect of the project was quite positive and productive, but other aspects of the trip were both mentally and physically exhausting. The travel out there was cumbersome (flight delays, near-missed connecting flights, motion sickness, lost luggage, 40-minute train ride, rain, etc.); the schedule was demanding (along with a 2-hour time difference); and it was my first time away from Lucy overnight.

Thankfully, my return flights (connecting through Denver) were much better. I was functioning on very little sleep, but I was actually pretty coherent for most of the flight and took advantage of my window seat. I love a good window seat; I always find it fascinating to piece together parcels of landscape from above, or even to just stare at the clouds. Occasionally I have been lucky enough to see something particularly special - once flying to North Carolina I watched a lightning storm parallel to my plane; flying to Montana one year on the 4th of July I watched multiple fireworks displays from above.

I did fall asleep once on my flight to Denver (it was at 6AM, after all), and as I awoke I peered out the window and was rewarded with a view of snow-capped mountain peaks poking through a blanket of clouds. I have seen mountain views from above before, but this was spectacular. The pale orange of early morning light illuminated the eastern faces and left the western faces dark, reinforcing the definition of the uppermost ridges. As the cloud cover diminished, the light spread and a complete snow-covered oasis of peaks and valleys was revealed. The landscape appeared untouched – just pure wilderness. It was simply breathtaking; a perfect example of the camaraderie between God and Mother Nature. I don’t know about you, but I think my version of heaven looks exactly like that beautiful view.

Of course my own little slice of heaven on earth is in the presence of my baby girl, who did just fine without me these past few days, but was also very excited to see me. I guess that’s just about perfect too.