Look! Up in the sky! It’s me with my head in the clouds. Yes, I jumped on a big ole jet airliner this week to carry me far, far away. This trip allowed me to reap the benefits of having my head in the clouds.
The idiom to have one’s head in the clouds does not have a positive connotation. It is used pejoratively to describe an individual who is out of touch with reality and unrealistic. I had quite the opposite experience of that negative view. My time with my head literally in the clouds allowed me the opportunity to get my head on straight.
Pondering on the plane had benefits in four areas, all of which can be described using the letter “p.” First, I found that having my head in the clouds was Peaceful. Let’s face it. If you are sitting on a plane, there’s not much to do. You can basically snooze, read, and people watch. If there’s cabin service, you can have a beverage and snack. All of these are non-stressful activities. For me, it was a respite from the assault of distractions and responsibilities of everyday life. No ringing phones, no doorbells chiming, no dogs whining to go out, etc. I was allowed time to just be. How often does that happen? Correct answer? Not often enough.
Another benefit of having my head in the clouds was experiencing Pleasure. I always request a window seat because I am curious by nature and want to see what’s going on. With a window seat, you can check out what’s happening both inside and outside the plane. The pleasurable part is typically viewing what’s outside the man-made bird. First of all, there are lots of clouds. I am fascinated by clouds. Scientifically, they are visible masses of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere. To me they are eye candy–fluffy, light and tantalizing. I can see why angels are typically depicted as sitting or standing on clouds. What pleasure it would be to frolic on them! Their varying shapes intrigue me. Less heavenly, but still a pleasure to view, is the varying landscape–rivers, mountains, the coast, etc. God’s creation is astonishing.
Viewing the landscape below inevitably leads to the next benefit of having one’s head in the clouds–Perspective At cruising altitude way above the Earth, things appear differently than on the ground. And by different, I mean smaller. As big as you think your house, job, car, etc. is, in the big scheme of things, it isn’t big at all. That majestic mountain does not seem as daunting, or big, when flying over it.
People appear as ants, if they can be seen at all. Kind of puts one in his/her place. There’s a big world out there as is obvious from the view out the plane window. We are each just a very small part of it. Hopefully, this realization will allow us to chillax about the everyday annoyances/issues that loom so large when our feet are on the ground.
And when we are back on the ground, just what will we be doing? Having your head in the clouds certainly gives one time to think about that, i.e., time to consider Purpose. People are so busy doing on the ground that they rarely take the time to think about WHY they are doing what they are doing or what their goal(s) should be. Do they even have a goal? When you are trapped in a flying machine high above the Earth and could meet your Maker should there be a mechanical malfunction, you tend to think more long-term and not one foot in front of the other. Life is flying by when you are on the ground. Flying above it should give us incentive to consider what the purpose of that life flight is.
Back on terra firma, I feel more grounded. I’ve had time to ponder my purpose, put things in perspective, be at peace, and enjoy the pleasures of the world around me. Maybe it’s time we all spent some time with our head in the clouds. I wonder what a difference that could make to how we spend our non-flying time. Let’s try it–wheels up! Take a flight of fancy in your mind.
WONDER-ing WOMAN -- Alice H. Murray 