Does anyone care about air travel anymore? People obviously still use it and do so regularly. But does the act of rising off the ground and hurtling through the sky at hundreds of miles per hour still bring any thrill to the passengers? From simple observation, I would say, “no”. I feel the ability to fly has become underappreciated. It’s too functional now: you have somewhere to be, so you get on a plane, distract yourself or fall asleep for the duration of the flight, and then disembark to get on your way. I’m also guilty in this respect and cast no stone, but I remember a time when I anxiously awaited my first trip among the clouds.

Look at the sky at any time during the day or during a clear night, and you’ll likely see jet contrails tracing across the blue like footprints or blinking lights mysteriously moving across a starlit backdrop. Think about that. There are hundreds and thousands of people zipping by overhead thinking nothing about you, and you certainly know nothing about them, but there they are zooming by, suspended by God’s fingertips.

The human race has accomplished amazing feats. Flight is one of those breakthroughs that altered humanity’s course. Humans found a way to sling metal tubes up from the face of the Earth, keep them in the air, and then bring them back down safely. It’s an amazing marriage of science, engineering, and courage. They weave together to create a graceful float across the skies. The act of flying is a wonder unto itself, but what it offers the thoughtful observer is on another level.

This isn’t the chaos of the world you know. This is peace and simplicity. There’s a view reserved for truly rarified air; there’s not much congestion at 30,000 feet. The way the clouds form a jagged, barren landscape is a magnificent sight to behold. Few others would be able to see the world exactly as it is in that moment from that vantage. It’s a shared yet very private experience. The sky above the clouds paints in vibrant colors while the jet engines hum out a throbbing, enveloping soundtrack. And that’s usually why I fall asleep, lulled to rest by the sights and sounds of modern flight.

The sensation of taking off, when the plane first separates from the ground, will always be one of the strangest feelings. I marvel at planes’ ability to pull it off. I also goggle at being able to land safely. Flying, in its entirety from where it started to where it’s at, is not something to take for granted. I enjoy my in-flight entertainment and noise-cancelling headphones just as much as the next person, but there is something revelatory in taking a moment to reflect on the fact you are dangling in the sky because the air passing under the wings is moving faster than the air moving over them. When the pressure above is less than the pressure below, that generates lift and up you’ll go, go, go. Flying is and should be an experience. I’m sure with enough repetition for some, flying becomes as second nature as opening the refrigerator, but there should still be awe-inducing events in our lives. Sometimes, we have to force moments to be memorable. Other times, however, if we give life a chance, it will clear the runway for something special.