Hovering

Yesterday was a normal day until it wasn't.  I woke up and got my oldest off to school, gave the other three baths and breakfast, started laundry, worked on watering the backyard, and cleaned the kitchen.  And then I loaded the kids up in the mini-van, dropped them off with their Dad and went on a helicopter ride - that was the unusual part.  I don't go on helicopter rides everyday you see.

I didn't take much time to think about or anticipate the ride because ever since I had number four I'm pretty much gunning everything at the hip.   So I don't think I went in with any expectations.  But if I had, I don't think I woulod have expected to be soulfully moved like I was.

Once we got just above the tree tops I felt that filled-up feeling, like the belly of my soul had been pushed out so far that the nerves informing it were pulled extra tight and tingling with sensitivity.  It's an intensity kind of like when you're playing soccer in the freezing cold and you get hit in the arm with a ball and it stings way past a warm-weather sting.  The first thing I noticed was how little the cities in my area of the South are compared to the farm land and wild land around them.  It seemed like there were only a few hills covered with houses and businesses.  And those island hills were surrounded by an ocean of infitite hills of thick, frowsy trees and squared fields of green and yellow.  When I drive to Walmart in my car I could be convinced that there is nothing genuine left of nature in the world.  But looking from above I could see that Walmart is a lot more likely to call uncle before nature does.  I saw that there is land and land for my children and my children's children to expand into.  That was comforting.

But even more comforting to me is the metaphor that my heart turned my vision into.  I felt like all of the things that are ugly or hard or even just menial that are in my close, daily vision aren't as large as I perceive them to be.  It was clear to me that there is an abundance of peace, quiet and beauty around me and that there is plenty of that peace for my children to enjoy and my chidren's children.  I thought that was nice to know.

Mark Twain said that the Mississippi River was never as pretty to him once he worked on it daily because instead of seeing the sunset on the river all he could see were the signs on the river that impended danger.  So I guess pilots probably get desensitized to their view after a couple of days in the air too.  But I came off that flight wondering how a pilot couldn't have the best perspective on life there is.