The captain has turned on the seat belt sign.

Why do I have to wear my seat belt when the plane is on the ground, but not when it's 10,000 feet in the air? Shouldn't I need to be more secure way up there than down here on terra firma?

Yes and no. It is certainly more secure to be parked at the gate than at cruising altitude. Not much more, though. After all, both places are steady, consistent, reliable, and a bit dull. It's the part between them that gets dicey.

Take-off and landing. Those are the time you want Sully in the cockpit, and not the autopilot. Because transitions are dangerous and scary. Going from the ground to the sky and back again is risky business, and keeping your seat belt buckled is only common sense.

Naturally, there's a life lesson in this. It's easy to sit at the gate and wait. Cruising at a familiar speed does not require guts. Is that what I want to always do, though?

Where do I need to buckle up and take off? What habits need to get off autopilot and be grounded? What about you?