Liftoff
I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
Emily Dickinson, “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers”
Outside the conference center/movie theatre that we are meeting at for the district training in Bethel, there is a swingset. Nothing glamorous; just four basic black swings connected to a bright yellow frame by chains. During our breaks, I’ve stepped out for air and re-experienced the wonderment of riding a swing.
I kick my feet on the woodchipped ground and propel myself forward, letting gravity pull me back. I kick my legs down and up, back and forth, until I am going nearly horizontal, and then I am flying backwards, the wind whipping in my hair, making my earrings jingle. And then the wind is in my face and I am flying up, up, until I reach the brief moment where for a split second, I am truly airborne. Ever so slightly, I am out of the seat, and I feel the gentle rush of adrenaline, the twinge of fear that I might go up and never come down, and then I am swinging back.
This gentle rush of adrenaline has been coursing through me the past few weeks.
I have been on more planes in the past two weeks than I have been so far in my lifetime. I have a new house, a new phone number, a new job, a new classroom, and a new worldview to discover. I am unsure of everything, but the excitement is all-encompassing. I cannot wait to be a part of my community, to help my students learn, to grow with them throughout the school year.
It is the first moments of a plane lifting off; it is the apex of a swing where I am airborne for just a moment. Instead of being momentary, it is a persisting, pervasive feeling, permeating the air.
I am secure that I am landing safely.
I have met so many wonderful teachers and district employees. I have gotten so much advice and guidance from everyone around me, and I am prepared for the journey ahead. I have learned how to take care of myself in the village and how to manage my travel; I have even flown in the copilot seat of a few airplanes! (I didn’t do any piloting, to be clear.)
The adventure is beginning. Houston, we have liftoff.
