Light The Way

"Pick a star on the dark horizon and follow the light
You'll come back when it's over
No need to say goodbye"
 - The Call, by Regina Spektor

There are plenty of things to not like about flying in an airplane. There's the cramped seats, the strangers and crying babies (I feel so sorry for those poor parents, it's tough), the turbulence and pressure, and of course all the hassle of going through security. I heard a guy once make a joke about how at the beginning of a flight, the person on the PA system cheerily tells everyone to "Have a good flight!", and how he thought this was a dumb thing to say, because what person filling an Economy seat is really expecting to have a good time on the flight? Answer: me. Despite everything else, I really like flying. I like having time set aside just to read or listen to music or podcasts. My favorite part though, the part which makes it all worth it, is the view.


My plane took off from Houston, headed for Ecuador. I leaned back and simply stared out the window, watching as the plane gathered speed and took off, drinking in the view of my native soil, everything familiar growing farther and smaller. It was getting dark, and quickly the plane was in the clouds and there seemed to be nothing more to see. I adjusted my iPod and after awhile I looked back outside. I nearly gasped at the beauty of the scenery. The plane was above the clouds. The sun was setting in the distance, casting a red-orange glow over this new, nebulous world. I wished I could fall and float into it. It's like those pictures people draw of heaven, except that there would be winged angels wearing white. Here though, it was simply peaceful, an untouched place. Tranquil, yet startling in it's glory. Eventually the sun set and it was completely dark. Yet even then I was given one last beautiful sight.

In the darkness, I began to see lights far below. They were scattered few and far between, so at first I thought we must be flying over the ocean and I was seeing lights from ships. Then I began to see larger clusters of lights, but they went in and out. One area of light would fade out and another would appear. I was confused for awhile, before I finally realized what I was seeing. I was seeing city lights through a covering of shifting clouds. The clouds would part and reveal some lights far below but would then blow over - as the plane also passed over - those lights, and others would be shown instead. It was a huge, incredible light display. I tried to guess what country we might be flying over then: Mexico? Some smaller ones like Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama? It felt as though I were in some other fair-tale like place, so it was enough to let it be a lovely mystery.

I was traveling away from my home, from all the places and people I knew I loved. Yet I was flying to a new home, my new home for the next two years. It's been said in songs and stories many times, and as I watched the lights far below me move in and out of sight, one always being there somewhere, I thought about how true it was: the lights will lead you home.

"Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones"
 - Fix You, by Coldplay

(I wish I had a camera on me to try and get some pictures, though they probably wouldn't have done the view justice, just like none I found online could compare.)