I live under three different landing patterns for LAX. Planes have alway been a constant in my life, I've been on them while traveling, or under them while at home.
I have trouble sleeping when the skies are quiet. When I first moved to Long Beach, it took me a month or so to get used to how quiet it was. After the planes hit the towers on 9/11 and all the planes were grounded, I remember being so scared because it was so quiet. The house didn't rumble, you could always hear the tv and there wasn't a "hold on, there's a plane" in the middle of phone conversations.
I used to love the window seat when I traveled, then I grew. When I fly, I prefer an aisle seat with as much leg room as I can find, especially on longer flights. There is one awesome thing you give up when sitting on the aisle in a plane: the window pictures. Seeing the world from thousands of feet in the air is magical. You fly through and over storms, through clouds and you get to see sunrises and sunsets from the most magnificent place.
In 2009, I was able to cross something major off my life's bucket list. I saw the sunrise on the east coast (on the way to the Dulles airport in DC), flew home and saw it set into the marina in Long Beach that same night. I didn't realize the impact it would have, but you see the sunrise over the Washingtom Monument and tell me it doesn't strike a chord.
Here's to the land above the clouds, friends. Enjoy it whenever you can.
