How Did I Get Here? How Do I Get There?

Juxtaposition by toy plane

On a jog through the park, I came across a middle-aged man staring into the sky. He was balding, bulky, and weathered. His flannel shirt and denim jeans gave the impression that he had spent one too many days at the construction site.

I searched the densly overcast sky to identify what he was transfixed on. Having trouble finding his point of fixation, I looked at others in the park to see if they were looking skyward. It was then that I spotted a man with a remote control staring off in the same direction. He was piloting a toy plane.

I scanned the sky once more and was able to identify the tiny plane zipping through the sky with a delicate grace. Turning to focus on my path ahead, I noticed a girl roughly two years of age accompanied by her mother and dog. She had little interest in the game of fetch taking place beside her. She too was staring at the toy plane. I was impressed by her ability track the airborne jet as it’s profile was no more than a foot in length and seemed to disappear into the background of gray clouds upon elevating.

Both the weathered man and the young girl were hypnotized by this little gadget; quiet and full of wonder. It’s flight patterns differed greatly from those of everyday massive aircraft and were reminiscent of a playful bird. The freedom displayed by this particular human controlled flight, observed at such a close and tangible proximity, created an aura of magnificence and infinite possibility.

With their world’s so seemingly planted on the ground, watching this playful dance seemed to simultaneously draw profound internal questions from the two; similar in vain and magnitude, juxtaposed by knowledge and time:

“How did I get here?”

“How do I get there?”

Story inspired by:
Spanish Sahara
Foals
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