Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Adventure is out there




Adventure is out there, I tell myself as I step into solidly cold wind 
wee hours of the morning, not enough coffee and a heavy suitcase.
Light heart. Anticipatory, open brain.
Adventure is out there, I say, as I leave my bag with the man and his cart, up the steps into the cylindrical tube that will be hurtling me through the air 600 miles every hour
6 miles up there.
6 miles. I can't even run that far.
I am a fifth of a century old and I have never flown in an airplane. 
I'm beginning to hate the Wright brothers. What is wrong with horse and carriage?
What is wrong with car? Train? Roller skating? Land travel is SO MUCH SAFER. 
But no. Onto the plane. Into my seat.
Seatbelt, even though we won't be leaving the ground for another twenty minutes.
Breath. Adventure is out there
The words chasing my terror around my head,
Children in a game of tag.
Terror? ...pretty sure that's what that is.

Adventure is out there
Black dawn yawning hungrily at me through tiny window.
Adventure is out there
Taxiing down the runway
Adventure is out there 
Engine noise overpowers all other senses until it is all I know.
Adventure is out there
Heart and stomach switching places with my esophagus and 
Tongue turning to sandpaper
Adventure is out there
Lights flicker
Adventure is out there
Plane begins to tilt
Wheels begin to lift
I think for a moment that there is no way that we will not crash, tail over wings
27 casualties, 48 wounded, remainder of passengers and crew in critical condition
Adventure is out there
Mocking me from its seat belted position in my brain
Adventure is out there
Wheels lift off the ground and 
Adventure is out there, in the air:
WE ARE FLYING.

Two airports later (one landing, one takeoff, one landing later - let's face it: the landings feel like roller coaster rides gone wrong) - we have arrived on time.
We have arrived alive,
We have nurtured my traveling soul we have located our taxi and obtained coffee
We have moved forward in control
Confident travelers.

Our bus fills with smoke.
Nothing to do.
Gauges fine, gas fine, heaters and airconditioning fine
Everything is fine
And yet I can trail my hand through the sunshine lit fumes that swirl plentifully.
We open windows.
We wait, amid flying hair and silent mouths, surrounded by strangers.
We arrive at the hotel, 
70s style room...it has gold light fixtures. 
Rest. 

Before I sleep, before my father wakes me with his dead-raising snore,
Before I cleanse myself of the dirt of travel.
I am haunted, greeted, wrapped in a thought:
Adventure is out there.
But adventure is not always without trouble. Adventure is not always pure. Adventure is not always what we think it will be. Adventure will trick us - 
For that is the essence of adventure: to not know, yet plunge in. 

7 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. That is so magically written! I felt like I was living it :)

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    2. I'm so glad you guys liked it!! :) makes me happy!

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  2. OH. MY WORD. THIS. IS MAGIC. SAMIIII. ♥ Do you even realize how much I love planes/flying?? OMG THIS FELT LIKE I ACTUALLY WENT THERE. LIKE I FELT LIKE I WAS THERE. THAT IS SOME GREAT TALENT YOU HAVE. And I was checking the name of your blog (so naughty, I know) while filming my Q&A vlog so you may or may not see a clip of me squealing when I saw that shot of the wing. BE WARNED.

    This post has given me major wanderlust ugh. thanks a lot. xD No seriously I loved it to bits. ♥ never stop writing.

    love,
    abbiee

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    1. AWW THANKS ABBIEE!!! really though... it was AWESOME. i am now dreaming of travelling everywhere. and really - the squeal - I HAVE TO GO LISTEN TO THAT. XD
      i'm really really glad that you liked this ^_^

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  3. This is really beautiful. :') And I freak out over planes all the time so I relate to that...hehe. But I also love that last line...adventure ISN'T always safe. That's why it's adventure. ^-^

    Thanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!

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    1. Cait! :) i know, right?? but it was really fun. and terrifying. and fun. (i'm so stuck in the middle about how i feel about planes.) (basically, they're neccessary to get to cool places but they are SO NOISY AND OVERSTIMULATING AND RATHER SCARY.)
      GAAH. #travelproblems

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