Through the Window — Finding Perspective When You’re Grounded

Maybe being grounded isn’t a setback; maybe it’s how life teaches us to look out the window again.

This week’s travel had me thinking about another time, a few years back, when I was grounded for real, sitting on the tarmac in Chicago for nearly five hours, engines off, lights dimmed to save power, no air moving through the cabin. On the last flight out, every seat was taken except the window seat in the back.

At first, I was frustrated. Stuck. Ready to be anywhere but there.

Then, something shifted.

The people around me, strangers moments earlier, began to talk. We swapped stories, laughed about travel mishaps, shared snacks, and found a strange kind of calm in the middle of it all.

By the time we landed around 2 am, the quiet had turned into connection. I even drove a few of them home that night; no reason for anyone else to call a ride.

Looking back, that flight taught me something that still sticks: most people tune out during the wait, but that’s often when life shows you what matters most.

Now, whenever I’m traveling, mainly through delays and detours, I try to embrace it: the stories, the humanity, the stillness. Because sometimes clarity doesn’t come from flying high, it comes from sitting still and really seeing the world around you.

And maybe, just maybe, that’s where purpose starts to rebuild, not in the rush to take off, but in the quiet before we do.

Double Espresso Reflection:

When was the last time life grounded you long enough to remind you that connection still matters?