In the midst of the umpteenth hacking cough, I had angry tears running down my cheeks. Caged in an aeroplane during a night flight to Dubai, I felt a rush of sympathy for my squirming neighbours.

After a beautiful holiday, I was really looking forward to going home. But the cough wouldn’t let me sleep off the longest hours I had known. After 10 hours, the movies had lost all appeal and I was walking up and down the dark aisle to pass my time. Sick on the flight, I missed the comfort of my home and the warmth of my family more. ‘I WANT TO REACH HOME NOW’, my mind thundered in silence. With no means to call home, this silent thundering grew louder within with the helplessness that no one was listening.

Everyone was peacefully asleep and only I was glowering around in the dark, or so I thought. Until I looked out the window. And behold! I saw a lightning streak across the night sky highlighting the clouds giving a gorgeous glimpse into the otherwise black abyss.

We were flying in a calm zone with a view of lightning from a nearby turbulent area! To witness a natural phenomenon without being in the thick of it! When the senses were not overwhelmed but gently teased by the periodic glimpses of the infinite, a web of awe and bliss simultaneously enveloped me.

My silver lining was here. My knight in shining armour. In my misery I was looking for a sign of inclusiveness. I was looking for my home away from home. A sign from up above that I was not alone.

It was so mesmerizing. I couldn’t see much but every time the sky lit up, my spirits went up higher. This time I had tears of reverence in my eyes.

I wanted to share this moment with someone but my fellow passengers had slept in the absence of my awestruck cough. So I happily showed the steward the view. He jumped to his feet excitedly, his duties forgotten, quickly calling his steward and hostess friends to see it. They gathered around their window trying to click pictures and enjoying that moment. That temporarily took away the roles of the passenger and the host that we were playing. We were all just children again completely present in the moment.

Reveling in the beauty with them made the ominous cabin homely for a moment. We were all in this together.

However the oddest bit I realized later was that we were flying over India when I saw this phenomenon. I was missing home, the sky caught my attention when I crossed my home country and comforted me by my proximity to my other home, Dubai.

Ruchi Undevia previously worked in the field of advertising and marketing, Ruchi loves the power of the pen and is currently a Yoga Instructor in Dubai. Ruchi likes to read & write stories, quotes and poetry that inspire the soul and causes her to reflect within.

Image courtesy of 12019.