The Window Seat

Many people love having the window seat when flying. They love the scenery and seeing people turn into ants and cars transform into small specs. The window seat is not just a seat, it is an experience.

I just recently traveled to Florida and I was blessed with having the window seat. My first flight was during the day, from Wilkes-Barre, PA to Newark, NJ.

As we were taking off, I looked down to see thousands of trees in the transition of summer to winter. I have never flown during the fall months, only summer. The trees were shades of green, yellow, brown, and red. As I looked down at them, a warm, comforting, feeling fell over me – that cozy, yet crisp, autumn sensation. I forgot for a moment that I was headed to sunny Florida, where it feels as though summer never ends. It’s interesting that trees, something I see every day, encouraged such a positive emotion.

The scenery abruptly changed as we flew into a massive cloud. The inside of the plane lit up as the outside world turned into a blinding white out. As we reached out highest point, we were flying above an ocean of white surrounded by nothing but a clear, blue sky.

As I sat, gazing out the window, I thought about my mood that I was in that morning. The weather outside was dreary and gray – a perfect day for staying in, cuddled up under a blanket, while binge-watching Netlfix. As excited as I was to be headed to Florida to see my mom and sister, I couldn’t help but feel – blah. Reflecting on my mood I was in that morning made me start to think about how different I felt at that moment. What was the reason for such a drastic mood change? The scenery, yes, but I thought deeper than that. I was looking at the same sky as I was that morning, the only difference was the perception. As a person, I am a ‘thinker’. I am always daydreaming and thinking about a whole bunch of different, unrelated, things. This small, ordinary, but exhilarating, experience made me think about perspective.

Three hours and 30 minutes later, I am in a different plane, different window seat. The sky, darker now, was full of the same gray clouds and ‘blah’ feeling. As I looked out the window at my surroundings, I noticed I wasn’t in the most attractive of places. We took of, flying into the dark sky, and into a dark gray cloud that caused some nasty turbulence. I began shutting the blind on the window and considered sleeping until I landed in Tampa, but I thought of my flight that morning and decided to lift the blind back up. I peered out the window to one of the most amazing views I have ever seen. The city, which I described as unattractive minutes before, turned into a landscape of designs. The ground was lit up by street lights, night life, cars, and tall skyscrapers that began to resemble small figurines. Cars started to disappear once we reached our highest point, and the only objects that were visible to the naked eye were tiny, bright, squares that I later realized were football fields High above, we soared, flying over one city and town to the next which were separated by the darkness of woods. The entire flight to Florida was breath-taking and like nothing I’ve seen before. Once again, my mood shifted due to a different perspective.

That morning, on the ground, I looked up to the sky and didn’t feel so great about what I saw. But then, in the sky, I looked down. Down at the earth and at a whole new view, new perception, new perspective. Every day we have a choice; a choice on how we want to live our day. If something has you feeling as though it’s going to be a bad day, or if something has you feeling 'blah', look at the day from a different perspective. Choose happiness. We are privileged to be able to have a choice, so why choose to be anything but happy?

Next time you’re traveling, sit and soak in the world before you. Let the view transport you somewhere no vacation can. Let a new perspective open your eyes, mind, and emotions.

Next time you’re traveling, take the window seat.

-Olivia Delvecchio

Olivia DelVecchio is 25 years old. She is a graduate from Penn State University and is currently enrolled in graduate school at Marywood University for Social Work. Her dream job is to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and counsel active military, vets, and their families. She loves a great murder mystery, Fleetwood Mac, dogs, Grey's Anatomy, and writeing for Project Wednesday and Thought Catalog!