Have you ever traveled by air on a full moon? The first full moon I recall flying was the Full Harvest Moon on October 2, 2001. Yes, just a few weeks to the one month after September 11. I flew from Fresno to Tampa, Florida. I may have flown earlier during a full moon, but the 2001 Harvest Moon is the one I remember as the first.
I flew during a waxing moon this week, six days from being whole. So it was pretty bright. As I stared out the window at 33,000 ft, the moon appeared bright and large, reflecting off the left wing. Snapping a few photos for my memoirs, I pondered my flying life.
Flying for me started with that first flight from Illinois to Connecticut in 1984. Travel served as a significant component of my journey. The number of boarding passes bearing my name I can only determine with painful research. However, I noticed that my Apple Wallet contained many of those passes since 2017. It's too bad Apple Wallet was not around in 1984.
A quick sort of my Apple wallet revealed 92 boarding passes. Indeed, many have traveled more, but I have many miles flying around the planet. I only sometimes choose to travel. Travel was a function of work, time off work, and simply seeing friends and family. Work was a condition of employment, which put me in a position to travel as a function of living.
For the record, I never missed a flight; I have had many on-time arrivals and several unexpected adventures due to travel disruptions. The weather causes the majority of disruptions, with the occasional airplane maintenance. My bags made it with me almost 100% of the time, and if they missed the plane I was on, they caught up with me in a day or two.
When I travel, I can appreciate my experience. I carry a relaxed demeanor and a sense of mental preparedness to accept disruptions. I welcome disruptions and an opportunity for unexpected exploration.
Journey onward.
