Flying over the city of Atlanta at 10:39 PM I realized that sometimes I forget how beautiful the world is. At low heights I see the cars speeding in traffic, as I get higher and higher the cars fade to dots and the buildings become faintly defined. I see a blur of lights that brighten up the streets of a place where thousands of people live, laugh, party, go to work, and fall in love. From afar all I see is the dots, no people, just specks of the things that surround them. I don’t hear the stories of the people who live in the lights, but I know that they have them, and that their lives are beautiful and meaningful.

Anyone who flew over Republic, Missouri this week may have been thinking, “wow there’s endless fields”, and over Springfield they may have seen the tall buildings and the city lights. I wonder if they thought about the people there: the people running through the fields, picking flowers off the side of the road, and eating old school ice cream.

This past weekend, someone at low heights in a plane, may have seen me in a car zooming down country roads, driving a few extra miles because I got us lost, and climbing through the sunroof when I locked us out of the car. Laughs filled the vehicle when we finally got the keys and made it back onto the right road, but no one else heard them, just us. Oh by the way, when I say us I mean myself and Chase. I went and stayed the weekend with him and his family, in a place I have been a few times but never had the ability, until this visit, to explore it and really appreciate it.

The land is beautiful, don’t get me wrong I love the mountains but the open flat fields are incredible. I found myself absorbed in music blasting from the speakers and the beauty of the open roads. The road led me to a place that satisfied my heart and my belly, Incredible Pizza. If you are a child at heart and ever come across one, then you should most definitely grab some cheesy pizza and play in the arcade. Also, if you ever feel like you need some laughs you can simply go to a Steak and Shake and meet some very interesting people, I promise you that. These little moments, like battling it out to win the best prizes, and laughing at funny old men, are part of what makes traveling so fun.

Someone further into their flight, higher up, looking at the dots formed by the city lights had no idea what was going on below them. They do know however, that there were people living out their lives, trying new things, continuing old traditions, meeting new people, and laughing until their chests hurt. It amazes me to think about all the things happening below me as I go to new places and the stories I fly over, and all the people below searching for what is next to come in their lives. When in that moment all I know is when I land, I wont be flying over their stories anymore, I will continue writing mine. The short chapter I spent in Missouri was a happy one.