My First Brace-Free Airplane Ride Story

The second week of August is THE. BEST. The swim season is over, and the first few weeks of August are the only time of the entire year that I don’t have to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to go splash around in a cold, dark hole in the ground. School still hasn’t started yet, so I am stress-free (or at least as stress-free as a rising junior in high school can be...I’m at the point in my life when people start asking what you want to do, where you want to go to college...the fun never stops). My most fond memories of summer always seem to come from this one week.

Every year, my family goes to the East Coast for a week to visit family and channel our inner tourists. As much as I enjoy seeing trees and grass that isn’t brown from the Southern California heat, I have to include myself in the majority of sane human beings when it comes to flights. I don’t like them. Who does? What’s that phrase? It’s more about the journey than the destination? While I’m all about motivational quotes, when it comes to traveling, I’m ready and willing to that I am, without a doubt, a destination person.

What makes sitting in a tin can, thousands of miles above Earth, with recycled air giving you a headache even more fun? A brace. Yep, you saw it coming. Trying to find a comfortable position, having a stiff back that you can’t stretch, the list goes on and on. But, that’s all I’ve ever known. And, seeing a view of NYC from the Empire State building always seemed to wipe away any negative thoughts I had.

For this year’s trip, I FINALLY got to go on the plane brace-free. And I must say, I’ve never loved planes more. While I still suffered the same symptoms that any person on a six hour flight does - stiffness, hunger, exhaustion - I couldn’t stop smiling.

I did a day in my life using instagram stories to document the day, because it was one that I don’t want to forget - check out my insta stories: @bentnotbrokenscoliosis *insert shameless self promoting here*. As happy and comfortable as I was, let’s just say that I would gladly taking apparating (just to clarify, for the muggles, it’s a Harry Potter reference) over a plane ride any day.