Hello wonderful people!
Last Saturday morning, I flew out of Utah to visit my family and got to enjoy the feeling of taking off in a plane for the first time in a few months! Take-off is my favorite moment of every flight; there’s just something magical how, as the roar of the engines builds to a crescendo and resonates through the seat, several hundred tons of metal leaps into the air with a jolt that knocks me back into the cushions, and then it's just me and the clouds and the open sky on the other side of a few inches of glass and metal. I love it!
The view from a plane is also just so gorgeous. I took the picture attached to this post from 30,000 feet up; the clouds all just meld together into the fluffy ocean that you see above, and it feels like you’re in another world. Everything out there is so calm and quiet and peaceful.
Anyways, this was the most fun I’ve had on a visit home in quite a while. Usually I struggle to feel like I’m connecting with my family when I’m back with them. But as with all things in life, putting in more effort yields better results, and I was very intentional about spending time connecting with each family member. The effort paid off and we made many sweet memories together. It was bittersweet leaving— the visit felt like it rushed by faster than I would have liked, and I felt a bit wistful on the plane ride home. But I enjoyed the trip while it lasted and I’m glad I had the chance.
I am very grateful for the family I was blessed with. They’re a good bunch of goons, and as with all families, we have lots of room for growth. But I know that they care about me and I am glad to always have them in my camp. They are wonderful in so many ways and I love them dearly.
This was also a reminder of the power my decisions have over the quality of my relationships. I think a big part of why I haven’t connected with my family on such a deep level in such a long time is that I’ve gone into visits expecting to struggle with them a bit. This time was different. I was much more optimistic about this trip because I had already been making a very intentional effort to connect with people back in Utah— sharing things about myself and my feelings more openly, asking more engaged follow-up questions, intentional and active listening, turning outwards instead of inwards— and I had seen how much of a difference those efforts were making. I put the same principles into action at home and I was able to enjoy my time with my family much more than I ever have on a visit. Those improvement points are all things that I’ve been really good at in the past and that I’ve gotten less intentional about over the years, and I don’t want them to slide anymore!
Now, of course every relationship in life is different, and some connections take more work to improve than others. But overall it’s healthy for me to remember that, in general, there is a lot that I can do to improve the way I connect with the people I care about the most. My role in a relationship with a friend or family member is completely under my control, and if I want it to be better, I can humble myself and change my attitude and actions in order to improve it the situation.
That same principle applies to any of life’s difficulties. My response to any struggle is under my control. I can change my outlook and attitude. I can stop making decisions that make my life more difficult. I can start making decisions that bring me joy and that make my life easier. I am the captain of my own ship, and I can always choose to change my course when I feel that it is right. I can live in a higher and holier way. And when I do, then, just like the view from up high in the plane, it's like a different world opens up around me.
I’ve seen the beautiful view from that way of life a few times before. And I think I am on track to see it again.
Go steer your ship well this week! Till next time.
