Trip of a lifetime without ever leaving the plane.
Even before I exited the airport the excitement was palpable.
Clever, cute, I loved the drama.
Credit:Southwest Airlines
I was so excited I barely slept a wink.
Im going to get an unobstructed view.
And more importantly, Im going to be able to share that view with all of our viewers.
Credit:Rebecca Angel Baer
In October I saw a blip on my newsfeed and I immediately bought four tickets.
My son just got his transplant last year.
This is his first official travel after transplant.
Credit:Rebecca Angel Baer
So I said were gonna make it a party.
Hes stabilized right now.
He doesnt have to do dialysis.
Credit:Stephen M. Keller
He was having to do dialysis 3 days a week.
Rebecca Angel Baer
We fastened our seatbelts and began to roll away from the gate.
And then the real show began.
Credit:Stephen M. Keller
Suddenly a sense of joy and childlike wonder filled the entire cabin.
We each took turns with our seatmates and rowmates from across the aisle.
It felt like a really fun class trip or perhaps like we were all adults attending space camp.
We watched and oohed and ahhed as the sky grew darker and darker out of the windows.
It was this surreal calmness.
Glasses off, we all saw the perfect glowing white ring around the black circle shape of the moon.
I knew that this was a once in a lifetime trip and I never had to leave the plane.
I was strangely very moved by this moment.
This communal gesture aboard a flight where normally people keep to themselves, are brisk and stressed.
This was a plane full of people who genuinely enjoyed this shared, unique experience.
When the plane touched down in Indianapolis, we all cheered once again.
We exited the plane to arrive at one last party at the gate.
It was truly a day I will never forget.
The next total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. will be in 2044.
Southwest Airlines, Omni Hotels, what do yall have planned next?
