Last week I stepped out on a limb and bought my first plane tickets to visit my best friend in Texas. I'd flown on a plane only once before with my boyfriend’s family, however, this time I was flying all by myself. It was incredibly nerve-racking to spend all that money on plane tickets and to have to navigate through three different airports. I went out of my comfort zone and for this reason, my trip became one of enlightenment.

One thing I noticed on all my flights was how relaxed people were about flying. I understand there are many people who don't enjoy heights or the feeling of flying, so they choose to keep their window shades down, but I find it unlikely that over half the people on the plane feel this way! This was how it was on all four of my flights, with hardly anyone looking out the window. They were all sleeping, reading books, or watching movies. I was astounded!

On my first flight I was blessed to have a window seat. At this point I had been up for over 24 hours and was totally exhausted, but I had my face glued to the window the entire time. I wanted to sleep so badly but I couldn’t miss what was happening. To be able to see the world outside, from this incredibly unique angle up above the clouds. Sleep could come later. All I wanted to do at that moment was enjoy the view and say "thank you, thank you, thank you."

I was soaking it up like a sponge to the point that my heart felt like it was too full for my chest. I could live up there in the clouds and never take it for granted. On my last flight I was in the middle seat. I opened the blind when I sat down so we could enjoy the sunrise to come. The woman in the window seat finally joined us and settled in for sleep. It was early and the clouds were covering Houston. When we finally broke through the clouds, the sunrise was incredible. The clouds were giant cotton balls and the sun was golden. It shone right into the woman's eyes and woke her up. She turned and asked me if it was okay to close the blinds so she could sleep. I very seriously considered saying "don't miss this" to her, but I didn't want to offend her, so I agreed. She shut it almost all the way closed except for a little sliver at the bottom. Let me tell you, I stared through that sliver of window the entire time trying to enjoy what I could of the sky.

All I could think during these flights was how unfazed most people seemed to be by the view. How can you want to watch a movie instead? Do that when you get back on the ground. Read your book when you get on the ground. Sleep later! Right now you need to be awake to see this! In our day to day lives, so many people don't really see. They may go outside, but they don't see the beauty of the sky, the trees, the water, the stars. They don't sit still and just listen to the wind and the birds. They don't take time to feel the rain on their skin or the grass under their feet. So many people are occupied with nonsense and worries. They're not enjoying the universe for what it is. Books and movies are wonderful, don't get me wrong- but we need to take time every day to connect to our source. This is what makes life worth living. This is what will put everything into perspective.

My second flight was delayed for almost two hours due to stormy weather. We’d been sitting on the plane for almost an hour ready to take off and people were getting angry. The pilot told us we were going to have to take a different route that would double our flight time, which sent everyone over the edge. There was moaning, complaining, cursing the pilots. However, I didn’t let myself fall into that trap. I believed it was happening exactly as it needed to be. It was more important to get there safely, so laid my head back, and played my music. What is integral to keeping a level head is letting go. Everything happens exactly as it should. The more you resist, the more trouble you make for yourself. You can choose to be angry that it's not going how you think it should, or you can trust in the universe and find peace within every moment.

I make it sound easy, but I'm definitely not perfect at these things. I'm still perfecting my thoughts and actions every day. I get angry when I have annoying patients. I still get short with my family members. I still have negative thoughts. I still stick my foot in my mouth sometimes. The point is that I'm trying. It's easy to talk about it and much harder to keep yourself in check. If you're trying though, you should be proud. Congratulate yourself for even caring enough to better yourself. You're doing a great job, so don't be hard on yourself. With daily practice we can achieve anything and the little steps turn into many miles. I ended up having an awesome trip and feeling better about what I could handle. It's time we all take a leap of faith because life is so precious.

Don’t waste a second of it by being afraid, being unaware, or trying to make it something it’s not. Lay back into its current and let it lead you exactly where it should, and don’t forget to enjoy the view.

About Mackenzie Nall
I’m Mackenzie, a 27-year-old from Alabama. I’ve done many things in my life including dancing, painting, drumming in a band, cosmetology, makeup artistry, and nursing. Blogging is new to me, but I’ve come to ignite a love for it that I didn’t know existed. It brings me so much joy knowing I can make a difference in someone’s life by writing about my own daily lessons. I want writing to be my main source of making an impact in this world. With nursing, I’m only able to help those who are under my care. With writing, I’m able to help people from all over the world. My blog is brand new, full of good lessons and occasional silliness. Check it out!

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