The aura of my airplane window is cool and calm and blue. Looking out, I find a moment of peace between the physical rush of travel prep and emotional rush of excitement on arrival.

 

"Few seconds in life are more releasing than those in which a plane ascends to the sky," writes Alain de Botton in The Art of Travel. "We rise fluently into the atmosphere and an immense horizon opens up across which we can wander without impediment... There is psychological pleasure in this take off too, the swiftness of the plane's ascent is an exemplary symbol of transformation."

 

No cellphones buzzing to distract, time is lost as we cross the invisible boundaries of time zones. A meditation in the clouds; out of Earth, out of body.

 

Botton continues, "The clouds usher in tranquility. Below us are enemies and colleagues, the sites of our terrors and our griefs; all of them now infinitesimal, scratches on the earth. We may know this old lesson in perspective well enough, but rarely does it seem as true as when we are pressed against the cold plane window."

 

From our airplane window, we are reminded of our humble size, but also our infinite existence. This moment of clarity is a gift - a peaceful moment in travel and transformation of our souls.

​

xoxo, L

​

a photoseries with Antonis Photography​

​