11 Mar 2011
Up, up and away
Well here I am, on Delta Airlines flight 16 to Los Angeles, then to Minneapolis and finally to my destination, Edmonton.
I am looking forward to connecting with our team in Canada, but I’m not looking forward to the weather. Anywhere that gets to a maximum of -14 should not be habitable!
I was watching Bear Grills the other night on Man vs Wild (what kind of parent calls their kid Bear?) and he was explaining why he doesn’t get lonely in the wilderness. He commented that he actually felt most lonely when he was in a big city surrounded by people. He mentioned that his Christian faith sustained him in moments of loneliness in the wilderness.
I can kind of understand how he feels. Clearing customs for an international flight sometimes feels like entering some kind of strange parallel universe where you are alone, yet surrounded by people.
I have friends who are very good at connecting with strangers. I’m not.
For the next 36 hours I will travel alongside people I will never see again, people who have no clue about my world, and I have no clue abut theirs.
I don’t mind it.
I like the space.
I’m not sure I would want to live like this though.
I seem to have significant moments on long haul fights. Perhaps it’s because, being forced to be still and not answer phones or check email gives me more space than I have in most normal days.
Sometimes it will be through a book I’m reading, sometimes it will be being still and thinking, and the last few times it has been through a movie. Late last year I had what felt like a profound trip to South Africa which was sharply focussed by watching the movie Invictus on the way over. I wrote a piece about it on that trip.
As I sit here on Delta 16, I have just had another emotional encounter with a movie.
I wouldn’t say that I am normally a very emotional person, but sometimes things seem to get to me. It is a bit embarrassing sitting in seat 51A and wiping back the tears as the stewardess comes around to offer drinks.
I will continue this blog tomorrow and tell you about the movie.