Taking a break from everyday life is a necessity to discovering who a person is. Anyone can fall into patterns and be the same person the day they were before. Its when one can escape and leave, to go to a place exotic and exciting. Memories of past trips to the oceans are among my favorites and recently I find them rising to the surface in the sea of my other thoughts. These trips meant more to me than just the escape. They were a time to explore and experience a side of my personality away from who I normally am at home.

Florida last year was truly amazing. I had been to the east coast many times to enjoy the white, sandy shore, the swaying palm trees, and the clear, blue water. I had never ridden a plane up until that point, as the idea of being totally helpless and dependent on an object that flew hundreds of feet above the ground was not completely enthralling. I like being in control, and being strapped to into the seat, not able to control what the plane does was terrifying.
Stepping onto the platform,  numbers flashed above the entry in bold, red letters to specify our flight. They were one of the last things everyone who entered the white walkway heading to the plane would see of the inside of the airport. The anxiety that often builds up began to knot my stomach. ‘People ride planes all the time,’ I kept repeating in my mind, ‘its not that big of a deal.’ I must have been looking a little pale as my family and I were boarding, for when we found our seats my mom handed me her water. “Drink,” she insisted. I had some of my own, but I took it anyway with what I thought was a winning smile and a “Thanks.”
Time seemed to pass increasingly slower as more and more people entered the now claustrophobic area. The anxiety started to get worse, almost shifting into anticipation. I wanted to get it over with. It was the anticipation that grows in my chest before riding new roller coasters, especially like when I rode Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point for the first time. The wind blew my hair back at amazing force and the screams of all the other riders were indistinguishable from my own was terrifying, and any thought was absent from my mind. Sitting strapped into that seat was similar to the restriction I felt in the airplane. Shooting 120 mph four hundred feet straight up helped me get over my fear of heights, thankfully, for if I still couldn't deal with being up high there would be no way that flying would even be a possibility.
The pilots voice crackly filled the cabin, his directions flooding through the speakers telling us passengers how to act and I clung to his every word like a lifeline. He had a deep, husky voice which was surprisingly comforting; it sounded like he knew what he was doing. Take off would be in 5 minutes he announced as the bridge connecting the plane to the airport folded up.
I turned up my volume as high as it could go. I can still remember it was the song ‘Bed Peace’ by Jhene Aiko. Her voice is so euphoric and calming, so her songs are my ‘chill’ music for when I need to relax. Which is mostly all the time, so, I listen to her a lot.
I glanced to the left where my brother, Stuart, who has the window seat, is staring eagerly out the clear glass. The fact we were about to depart from the ground for the first time didn’t seem to phase him. He turns and smiles at me as  the wheels of the plane begin to move as the pilot slowly directs the plane to the runway.
My palms began to get clammy so I shoved them in the pockets of my North Face I was wearing, as it was snowing in michigan at the time. Winter is not my favorite season, the cold and white is so plain. I love the bright colors of fall happening now, but summer with the hot sun and easy day's are by far my preference. Before I had arrived at the airport, one of the things I was most looking forward was being able to shove that jacket into the corner of the hotel room. I wanted to wear my shorts and summer clothes for after all, Florida is a continuation of the Michigan summer even at its coolest.
“Please put on you're seatbelts, the plane is preparing for take off.” The pilots voice once again boomed boomed through the speakers as the seatbelt light in front of everyones seat lit up.
At that point the anxiety was pointless; we were going and there was no getting off now. The wheels of the plane started to move as fast as my heart was beating. Then we were moving fast.
I loved it.
The bare landscape of the airport became a blur out the window and the speed had stopped my previous thoughts as i just watched the ground melt away through that small glass window. The blue lights illuminating the runway speed past in a single streak. The next thing I knew the wings of the plane tilted upwards and the plane lifted off the ground. I was pushed back in my seat a little from the pure momentum. We defied gravity. Suddenly it seemed just plain silly I had ever been afraid in the first place. Up in the sky, the knots in my stomach disappeared.
Looking back, that anxiety I felt occurs when I try something new, whether it be a roller coaster or new food; anything I haven't previously encountered in my past. I know I'm a naturally curious person, wanting to try new things, but the hesitancy and anxiety I feel before contradicts that curiosity.
As I watched the ground fade away past my brothers shoulder, all I could think of how elated I was to finally be where I was. Getting over those fears and anxieties open up new doors for opportunities in my everyday life.