Finding the Unexpected Beauty of Life in the Phoenix Airport

One of my favorite things in the world is travelling. One of my least favorite things is leaving my children. Therefore a dilemma arises when I’m faced with business travel.  Since I am the first person to admit that working from home has probably been the biggest blessing this last three or so years, I’m also the last person to complain when company travel comes up. I pack my obnoxious leopard bag and head out the door after some hardcore stressing out and child care planning.  Business travel becomes exponentially more complicated when you’re a single mom. Not to mention, the stress of actually putting one foot in front of the other to physically get on the plane. That part gets tricky.

I am not a natural flyer. You know, a natural is someone who doesn’t sweat profusely or panic wildly when they think about getting on a plane. I would definitely fall into the opposite of a natural flyer. My parents both dislike air travel, therefore I was raised a hardcore road tripper. This has been a blessing and curse. Blessing in that I love to travel to new places and I’m totally comfortable wherever I go, and I’m like a kid discovering somewhere new. Curse in that sweaty, panicky way I mentioned earlier. Something like the below picture.

I will add that I’ve gotten better. I don’t require the Xanax anymore. Or the brown paper bag. Or the wine.  I just really love to see and experience new places, so I have begun to take that opportunity where it presents itself. Travel has landed on my door step, and I take that as a sign that I have a lot to see.

This week I flew to California, via Phoenix on a layover. I sat on the plane, waiting to leave Phoenix, actually in line to take off. I slid up the shade that the previous flier had slid down to shut out the outside world. And when I did, I saw that it was sunset. And it isn’t called the Valley of the Sun for nothing. It was so stunning, I almost cried. Because I am now, and hope to always remain, a sap like that. I cried the first time I saw snow capped mountains. I am regularly moved to the verge of tears by the sight of the ocean and the feel of the sand between my toes.



So here I was, a little bummed to be on a plane across the country from my people, and I realized something important. Two things, actually. That THIS moment, this awareness and appreciation for one of the most majestic moments in life, the setting of the sun over the mountains in the desert, is exactly WHO I am. The people in front and behind me had their shades pulled tight, and my face was smacked so closely against the window that I wondered what I must look like from the other side. Bonkers, I’m sure. And that is A-Ok with me, because I think those people with their shades pulled are missing a chip. And that lead to my second moment, the one that made me realize life is made up of these moments. And if you don’t pull up the shade, you’ll never see them. 



I mean, I was taking off in Phoenix, looking at a painted sky behind the mountains and a blazing sun, and landing to the vision of the California moon. And I got to see this all at the most unexpected moment.

Be on the lookout for your unexpected moments. And be sure to always pull up your shade and smack your face against that window. Life is better there.

 

*These aren’t my pics, as I was gonna get tossed if I turned on my phone. But these look JUST like what I got to witness. And I’ll be posting a few posts this weekend…had lots of time to think while I traveled. Upcoming…San Francisco thoughts and my visit, and how awesome it is when an Ex makes it easier to move on. Stay tuned, peeps.