Taking the flight to read, write, think...

Last week I was traveling on business. My colleagues and I were concerned the return flight might get cancelled because of the storm and strong wind back in NYC. When we boarded the plane on time, we shared a sense of relief that we would make it back to our homes and families.

Above the clouds and smooth sailing, I took the time to write what you're about to read. As the captain's voice told us that we'd began our decent and would be wheels down in 24 minutes, the seat belt light illuminated. On the other side of the clouds heavy turbulence began, the kind that makes you feel like you're riding on a children's ride at an amusement park. It wasn't until we approached the runway, with the landing gear no more than a few feet from touching down, did I realize that heavy winds had the plane sideways and not parallel to the tarmac.

Just before a wheel kissed the ground our pilot was forced to pull the plane back up into the sky where we circled for 30 minutes in complete silence. For anyone who travels regularly for business I'm sure you've experienced something like this, it's unsettling.

I wanted to share my thoughts from that experience and what I did with that time, along with the words that I wrote that preceded this moment.

The following passage was written prior to the attempted landing. It should be read as a conversation with myself, not as a piece I had planned for public consumption.

Excited to get back to New York City.

Taking flight back to read, write, think...

Feeling an overwhelming sense of connectivity to everyone that I’ve come into contact with over the course of my life.

I have all of these lists of people. I collect these lists like others do with To-Do’s. Some twenty-thirty names and others hundreds. I think, no... I know! That someday I’m going to figure out how to bring this group of individuals together. To share in something special.

I’ve been working through how to share my relationships and experiences in a meaningful way.

Distilling my own concept of our interconnectivity to help others understand how I think about human connection and shared potential is something I’m putting real thought toward. What are the triggers that make me think of someone else?

• Geographic proximity is easy for me
• Shared vertical of business is natural
• Energy emitted is more fun
• Challenge or obstacle to overcome is most rewarding
• Romantic is rare

Why do I want so badly to extend my own connections beyond myself to connect others? At a surface level - I care about community and human interaction. But on a deeper level I think we all spend more time than we know, alone in thought. I want to be the spark for someone else or for two strangers. I want to have that energy exchanged between those individuals be the reason something great happens!

...not for acknowledgement or dividend but because it’s my calling. Because it's what makes me happy.

That’s all I’ve got for now...

These were the last words I typed before the captain pulled the plane back up into the air and sent the cabin into silence. During that 30 minutes of circling, I calmly queue'd up 6 texts to loved ones, a simple "I love you". It's funny how these moments call us to question our impact, our work, our relationships, our regrets, gives you the ability to see it all from just outside yourself. Luckily all ended well, our second approach was just as nervy but the captain scored a 10/10 on the dismount and the cabin applauded.

I wanted to publish this short piece in effort to share more of how my brain works and challenge myself to take my own advice. Putting more out into the world, pushing the publish button even if the thought isn't "complete". This is not our practice life.

Hope you enjoyed! Would love your thoughts if you have any after reading. Feel free to share them in the comments.