“Beyond the Veil” – My Runway Routine

Humans are creatures of habit.  We create routines so that we become comfortable with our surroundings.  I, as a member of the human species, am not exempt from this desire to standardize.  This runway routine, however, was discovered completely by accident.

Exactly one year ago, Lindsey Stirling released her latest album, “Shatter Me” and being the avid Stirlingite that I am, I downloaded the album on launch day.  It just so happened that I was traveling that next morning so I figured I would check out the tracks while flying from SMF to LAX.

After getting settled into my seat and after listening to the lovely United flight attendants give their safety schpeel, I reached for my earbuds and settled in for the hour and a half flight.  As we taxied out to runway 16L the first track of the morning was “Beyond the Veil.”  By happenstance, 2:06 in the song lined up perfectly with our turning from the taxiway onto the runway and the pilot shoving the throttles forward.  As we surged down the runway, “Beyond the Veil” provided the perfect soundtrack to what you experience during takeoff.

Why That Song

Music has always been a powerful influence in my life and I find comfort in tying songs to life experiences.  This song captures the anxiousness of taxiing to the runway, the excitement of that sudden acceleration, and the feeling of freedom as you leave the ground.  As you begin to soar through the air, passing through the next thousand feet the song takes on a light and airy feel and you realize that the journey has begun.  So much of my travel revolves around people.  That topic will be explored in another post, but “Beyond the Veil” acts as a signal to my brain, that I am on the way to see someone I love.

On the subsequent flights for that trip (LAX-SFO, SFO-MCI, MCI-SFO, SFO-SMF) and on every flight since last April, “Beyond the Veil” has narrated my journey down runways everywhere and acted as the official kick-off to each of my trips.

The destination, plane, passengers, and season may change, but “Beyond the Veil” remains a steadfast constant.  The song has become like an old friend, someone who keeps me company on those long and often lonely travel days. “Beyond the Veil” is my runway routine, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.