Groundspeed
On an airplane, I prefer an aisle seat for the legroom. If my only option to get closer to the front of the plane is a window seat, then I will trade legroom for it. I absolutely prioritize getting off the plane faster over being more comfortable on the flight.
My recent flights have been dark, so the windows are usually shut. Shortly after taking off, the plane feels like it slows down. Especially if I am looking out the window. Things move slower and slower, like we are hanging instead of traveling as fast as we are.
After a while, I forget that we are moving at all. More often than not, I am surprised by the pilot asking the flight attendants to prepare for landing.
Landing is the opposite feeling. The closer we get to the ground, the faster we seem to travel. The absolute fastest moment is right as we hit the runway. Things whip past the window faster than I can take them in.
I do not experience time or speed accurately. I only experience them in relation to the ground. I experience them in relation to the stakes. Landings are a bit scary, so I am very alert. We are also closer to the end, closer to the ground, and closer to the objects zipping past the window.
The beginning of this summer had a lot of time ahead of me. There were a lot of things I wanted to get done. Lots of movies, meals, and conversations I wanted to share. I wanted to spend time with the kids before they get back to college and high school. As the end nears, the stakes rise.
Now, just weeks from the oldest returning to college, time has sped up. It is zipping past my window. My time here is never unlimited, but it can feel like it. It continues to feel that way until I pay attention.
Do I have to wait until the end to pay attention? What am I missing because my shade is pulled down? Can I treat every week like the last week of summer?
Be curious, be kind, be whole, do good things.