Monday 5 Things: Flight Paths & Life Lessons

July 28, 2025 by D. Paul Graham

Ever curious and always amused by the quirks of life, join D. Paul Graham each Monday for more M5T pondering.

ROC Final Approach, Photo by D. Paul Graham from 5C.

I really am like a little kid when I walk through an airport and board an aircraft. I’ve always believed that life is a lot like flying. A flight has a purpose. You choose a destination. You file your flight plan by purchasing a ticket, packing your bag, and when you get to altitude, you really start to soar.

But delays happen. Plans change. Turbulence occurs. Luggage gets lost. And yet somehow, because my budget does not include private aviation, that boy inside the man in me keeps flying, usually with that company with a triangle logo, no matter what may happen. Case in point. On my flight to ROC last week, my handy-dandy Delta App did not show my luggage being boarded in ATL. Initial agitation subsided by realizing that at this point, the situation was out of my control. I simply sat back and enjoyed the view at flight level 300. Upon arrival into ROC, the gentleman at the Delta luggage desk could not have been nicer. He actually thanked me for being kind. We found the bag, which was not scanned in ATL. And just like that, as I drove to Watkins Glen, recording thoughts on my iPhone, this morning’s M5T took flight.

1. YOU NEED RESISTANCE TO TAKE OFF.  Planes face head into the wind before taking off. As our friend Bernoulli discovered, planes need resistance to generate lift to get airborne. If you are unable to sleep, I highly recommend reading the book he published in 1738 called ‘Hydrodynamica.’ Life’s no different. We often get frustrated when we meet resistance. But those headwinds, those sideways starts, those unexpected delays, and those uphill battles could be more than they appear on the surface. That struggle, conflict, or opposition you’re facing? It may just give you the lift you need to get off the ground, off your butt, or get over yourself.

2. TURBULENCE IS A PART OF LIFE. I don’t know anyone that enjoys turbulence. It happens. Don’t Panic. Seasoned pilots or passengers don’t flinch when the ride gets bumpy, they adjust. They stay calm. Life’s turbulence, whether personal, professional, emotional, or spiritual can seemingly come out of nowhere. It isn’t always avoidable, but it is survivable. The key is to stay buckled in, breathe deep, and remember that rough air doesn’t mean a crash. You’re still flying. And that’s what matters.

3. LUGGAGE GETS LOST. You land safely, but your bag doesn’t. So too in life, things get lost. Jobs. Relationships. Confidence. Control. It can be disorienting to arrive somewhere new and feel like part of you didn’t make it. It may be that what got lost wasn’t meant to come with you. Perhaps it was baggage, figurative or literal, that you didn’t need, and you’ve had to let it go. Whatever happens, you don’t scream or get angry with others. Find your way forward without the bag. You’ll likely travel lighter when you do.

4.  COURSE CORRECTIONS ARE NECESSARY. Planes drift. Winds shift. Pilots course-correct dozens of times on every flight. Life rarely follows a straight path. We make decisions based on what we know at the time, then pivot as we learn more. That’s not failure. It’s navigation. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to know where you are going, pay attention to your direction and what’s going on around you, and then adjust to stay on course.

5. SOME FLIGHTS ARE JUST PRACTICE RUNS. Not every flight takes you to your ultimate destination. Some flights are short hops. Some flights are long hauls. Some flights are rerouted. Some flights are simply taken to build experience. The same goes for life. Not every job will be your career. Not every relationship will be forever. But every experience adds flight time to your logbook. Nothing you experience is a waste. Every mile counts. Every hour teaches. You were never meant to stay on the ground. Occasionally, you may get upgraded to first class. So, keep climbing. Keep correcting. Keep going, no matter your destination or your altitude. The sky’s waiting.

Here's to a week of taking your flight.

© 2025 D. Paul Graham, All Rights Reserved

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