A Sense Of Awe

It's something people rarely have anymore. I get it when I see a magnificent piece of architecture, or a great old tree, or a beautiful sunset. I sometimes get it when I see a baby looking up at me. But I got it way more than I thought I would last week when the shuttle flew over our building at work.

At 9:15 everyone started talking about how the shuttle would be flying over the capitol at 9:30 and where in the building would be the best place to see it. I wasn't even sure if I cared. I was trying to concentrate on work. Then I realized if I didn't at least make an attempt to see it I was a jerk. So I decided to join some others on the roof.

I kept laughing because our roof is covered in this soft material. I was wondering who was going to fall through first. I was talking about how many safety violations we were breaking in our union contract at that moment. I stopped joking when I shut my mouth long enough to look around. Atop every building downtown were groups of people. It may just be the coolest thing I have ever seen. Miles around, crowds of tiny heads on top of the city buildings. It was very cool.

On a rooftop directly adjacent stood one lone man. I kept talking about how lonely he must be looking around at the cityscape littered with heads. He had no one to talk to. I yelled out, "Shoot the Burt Reynolds!!" and was disappointed that no one got it. I mean, when I quote some obscure Korean film I understand, but the new Dawn of the Dead? C'mon people!!

Someone asked me to tune my iPhone to a radio station and I started to. Then I realized that at least one of these people was going to point and yell out as soon as they saw it. And sure enough, a commotion began. I looked off in to the distance and there it was, flying what appeared to be right at us. I made sure not to put my phone up right away to take pictures. I wanted to not only view this thing through a screen as I was sure so many other people were doing. I wanted to see it with my eyes first. It was awesome. Then it came so close I felt like I could reach out and grab it. Apparently after I went back in it flew by again so close that people thought it was going to hit them in the head.

I'm glad I wasn't a curmudgeon and that I went up on that rooftop. I still think seeing the crowds of the city on top of the buildings may have been as cool as seeing the shuttle itself. And I laughed when later that day a friend sent me a quote: "What kind of a third world country are we living in? I just saw a plane fly by with a beat up ass camper strapped to the top of it." It reminded me of Spaceballs.

Here's a great picture my friend Tricia sent me of it flying over the Golden Gate Bridge. Pretty phenomenal.