The Titanic and Airplanes

The Titanic had a room dedicated to reading and writing. Back then, people prioritized those
two things, and writing was an art that people noticed, loved, appreciated. Authors, back then,
were kind of famous.

In my quiet opinion, the craft of writing and the joy of reading hasn’t changed. It’s been
overshadowed by all the other distractions around us, like Facebook, television, and, in my
case, choosing to drink coffee on the porch over most anything else.

I’m guilty of everything, though.

Lately, I’ve been up to my ears in newspaper work, scrambling to pull off a book release,
and getting things done for my publisher. You know what I haven’t done? Written anything for
pleasure. Read anything for fun. Been hiking. Been baking. Been sitting back to enjoy my book
release.

I understand there is very little I can do about a busy work schedule––for there are
features to be written and people to be interviewed––but I want to prioritize my peaceful
moments before my book release.

I went to the airport the other day to watch airplanes coming in for a landing but got
kicked out of my spot by the highway because an airport cop spotted me. All was well. He was
quite nice, but I had to move to another spot. The other place was yet another pull-off by the
highway. Mind you, this one had no signs that said I couldn’t be there, so I kept going down the
dirt road that took me behind the highway, and there I was, underneath those big red towers
where the planes fly over before they hit the runway.

I stayed there for two hours and watched the planes come in. They could be spotted as
little dots on the pink and orange horizon, and minutes later, they were right overhead, their
engines bellowing, their wings straight and sure. It’s those moments we should prioritize.
Readers, watch the airplanes. After a long day, go sit at the edge of a runway, even
when it’s cold and you’re tired and you really have to go to the bathroom.

Watch all the airplanes, and instead of wondering where they came from, start
wondering where they are going when they take off again.

M.M. Cochran is the author of YA novel Between the Ocean and the Stars and has an educational background in English and creative writing. She has worked in the journalism industry, as well as the agenting and publishing industry, and she is currently a news reporter for The Greer Citizen. M.M. can be found collecting coffee mugs, slipping into an oversized sweater, and hanging out with her standard poodle. Her debut novel, Between the Ocean and the Stars, can be found online at Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com. To keep up with her writing journey, follow her on Instagram @m.m.cochran_writer.

Featured Image by Luke Jones on Unsplash