Once again in my blessed life, I find myself on an aircraft making my way across our great country over a bed of clouds that carpet the sky below. My destination on this particular aircraft is Cincinnati, Ohio, where I will meet my friend Mek who will board a second aircraft with me to go to our final destination – Akron, Ohio – where our friends and a great weekend eagerly await us.

No matter how many times I board an aircraft, I love the experience of flying. If I had my way, I would fly somewhere once a week, just to be in the air. I even wish sometimes that I had a job that required me to travel all the time – so I wouldn’t have to wait months between each of my flights.

While this flight may have been an early one, with a 5:45am takeoff, it is a good one so far. There is no one sitting next to me in my row of two seats, giving me an extra seat for my stuff and an extra tray-table for my much needed cup of coffee, our flight departed on time, and it even looks like we might make it into Cincinnati ahead of schedule – what a great way to begin my latest vacation.

Being a constant flyer, I notice several things that each of my many flights have in common. For one thing, nobody ever pays attention to the poor Flight Attendants when they give the safety speech. Granted, everyone knows how to use a seatbelt, but I still feel bad when they give their speech while everyone goes about looking out the window or reading a newspaper. Also, I have noticed that over the years, the items offered by the airlines have dwindled rather severely. I remember when I used to fly and get a full meal during the flight – but those days are over. Now, all you get is a “complimentary” beverage and either a bag of peanuts or a wafer if you are lucky. And on flights that are less than an hour – you don’t even get that.

As I stare out my window at the aforementioned carpet of clouds, I am amazed that we as human beings invented a machine that allows us to travel tens of thousands of feet in the air at speeds reaching hundreds of miles an hour. I can only imagine how enormous and inaccessible this world seemed to people who lived in a time without air travel. I would certainly have not been able to embark on almost all of the trips I have taken in my life without the use of an airplane – and could not imagine living life without them.

Even just now, when our plane’s engines powered up for takeoff, I still got that same adrenaline rush I felt the first time I experienced a takeoff. While most travelers see flying as a means to an end – I see it as an adventure in itself – a vacation in its own right. Being someone who is constantly busy and never left alone, it is quite nice to be “stuck” on an aircraft for an hour or two with absolutely nothing to do but to relax and enjoy the ride. In a way, flying is not only a way to get around for me – it is an escape from the daily grind of my life – and, I am happy to say – a place where talking on the telephone is not allowed.

So as I wait for the Flight Attendant to bring me my second much needed cup of coffee as we inch ever closer to Cincinnati, I will sit back in my chair, drink my coffee – and enjoy the breathtaking sunrise out of my window – while the world and it’s cares remain below me – covered by a thick layer of clouds.