beautiful earth

I need to backtrack in the chronology of my trip and tell you about something so very beautiful. It's called Earth. Earth from 30,000 feet.

On our flight to LA last week, Christie and I dozed for awhile with the shade pulled down over the window. Some 3-4 hours into the flight she decided to peek outside (good mom that I am I gave her the prized window seat). At first we saw this:

I'm thinking it's a long time since I flew over farmland, but I don't recall ever seeing circular patches of crops. When did that happen? How can circles be more efficient than squares? Ah, what the hell, just enjoy the view. No need to question or analyze it, we are on vacation! It obviously takes me awhile to decompress. Christie wasn't quite as curious as I was about the circles. Nor was she analyzing anything other than how she was going to meet Nick Jonas in this lifetime. Another half hour and the landscape changed again.

I asked myself is that snow? Or is it morning clouds hanging in a mountain valley? Either way, I was impressed. Christie not so much...Mom, I'm bored. At this point I'm both intrigued and peeved. Peeved with myself for not having checked a map of the US before I left so that I would know what the hell I was looking at. So I'm guessing I was over Colorado...? Are these the Rockies?

Then things got realllly interesting. Or I thought so anyway. Christie gave up her window seat realizing I needed it a hell of a lot more than she did. She got my seat next to the sleeping Asian man. I moved into her spot and this is what I saw.

Wow! Isn't that gorgeous?! The Earth was turning red and getting more lustful by the minute. I got excited suddenly realizing that HOLY SHIT I might see the Grand Canyon after all! It's a destination I've dreamed about since the days of Cam (who lives in AZ). We used to talk about going there together. Later, Rob and I had talked about a trip there too, but it never happened because Andy came along and ruined Rob's plans.

It got prettier, even sexy with its deep crevices and jaggedness. What a fascinating land we live on.

I felt very blessed to see the earth from this vantage point. Some people never get to see this. Like my dad, although he wanted to so badly. Travelling to the canyon with my uncle many years ago (who was set on finding a store so he could get a fridge magnet to add to his collection), they ran out of time to see the canyon before dark. They couldn't find a hotel anywhere close the area that night and had to drive out of town, never to return the next day. My dad was so disappointed. I felt heartbroken when he told me the story. So when I saw it from the air, it felt so very special.

It's really a gift to step back from our concentrated focus, to break free from the detail for once and breathe in the expansive beauty of this planet earth.