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From the human perspective the world can be a heavy place to live; a positive mental attitude and happy pills cannot obscure the steady stream of global disaster. The 24 hr. news cycle transports us to endless human catastrophes often before the smoke has begun to clear. Daily we must come face to face with ruinous misery as it digitally staggers through our living rooms. No matter where we live, or how hard we resist, we are all pulled emotionally into the hellish fury of nature and man.
The fast waning daylight helps me quickly select the simplicity of backpack flight. Driving to the field I begin plan where to setup the launch to take advantage of a slight breeze. There's a hard push from behind followed by the gentle upward tug as my feet clear the grass. I quickly return to a special place I've discovered just above the earth where can I drift freely without anticipation or burden; as familiar scenes flow beneath my feet, a gentle pulse carries me away.
I believe that recreational flight has to be the most optimistic activity devised by man; I cannot recall ever thinking about anything except flying as long as I'm in the air. It's almost as if ordinary problems are confined tightly to the surface by some heavy force, and I'm allowed a brief escape into a higher dimension.
Later when I land I'll find that my little flight has not changed the world, but each time I fly I notice a change in me. Perhaps floating above the trees helps me see the better human qualities of kindness, optimism, resilience and courage; or maybe it's simply a rush of released endorphins from doing something I love; either way I have found a place that lifts me up like nothing else.