“…slow fade into the ocean’s arms.”
Among the many songs on my “Jet Plane” playlist, Death Cab for Cutie’s “Recycled Air” is one. The title comes from the chorus.
Let me tell you a story: it’s called “Awesome things my Dad did when we were little.”
Right next to the runway at the Wichita airport, there’s a park. It’s huge and beautiful, and we used to take our dog there all the time. Sometimes when Mom would go visit her siblings, dad would drive down to the park with us, wait for her plane to taxi, then race it down the runway along Tyler Road. We always thought we were winning until right before the plane left the ground, and we were left realizing how painfully slow 55mph really is.
I had forgotten that we used to do that until Dad took us to the park last night. We drove alongside the runway, and he talked about how funny it was that we always thought the car could go as fast as a plane.
So as I took off from ICT, lucky enough to be on the right side of the plane, my eyes followed Tyler Road alongside the park. Then I saw them: a bright blue jeep parked by the runway fence, 2 arms waving out the windows. Mom and Dad couldn’t see me, but I waved back.
“From here, they can’t see me stare…”
And don’t hate me for getting Miley stuck in your head, but I just hopped off the plane at LAX.
Sarah Olmstead and I are parked in a comfy corner, enjoying the free public wifi. As soon as the rest of the Logistics and Finance people arrive, we’ll board our trans-Pacific flight! Please keep us in your prayers… LAX to Hong Kong takes over 14 hours. That’s a long time to sit in one little chair.
-Katie
