What Airplane Tires Taught Me About Mindfulness
A quiet moment at Zurich Airport led to an unexpected reflection on pressure, resilience, and the overlooked strength within us.
Dear Duniyawaalo (People of the World),
I have a 6-hour layover at Zurich airport on my way to Chicago. I am sitting at an outdoor lounge called Aspire, waiting for my flight.
The Aspire lounge has a rare feature that I have not seen before. An outdoor seating with a front-row view of a runway.
Flights are taking off right in front of me. I can feel the rumble in my chest as massive jets lifted into the sky, one after another. It is breathtaking.
But then, something unexpected caught my attention.
Not the wings. Not the engines. Not the pilots.
The tires.
I watched them roll, grip, absorb, and release. I kept thinking, “How do those small tires withstand so much pressure?”
I remembered from physics that pressure is inversely proportional to area. Needless to say, the surface area of those tires is so small, yet they carry the full weight of the aircraft. Over and over again.
That simple observation pulled me into a quiet moment of reflection. It made me think about mindfulness.
Here is what airplane tires made me think about and reflect on.
Carry Pressure Without Bursting
Airplane tires hold tremendous pressure, yet they do not burst.
Why?
Because they are built to carry the load. Not by avoiding stress, but by being designed for it.
Mindfulness works the same way.
Mindfulness does not remove the pressures of life. It strengthens your capacity to hold them without collapsing.
Tune Your Inner Pressure
Tires are filled with care. Not too much, not too little. They are often inflated with nitrogen to maintain stability under various conditions.
Your inner life is similar. Some days, you are over-pressurized with anxiety. On other days, you feel deflated and fatigued.
Mindfulness helps you check in and ask:
Where am I right now?
What do I need to let out, or let in?
You are not meant to run on autopilot. You are meant to self-regulate.
Built to Absorb Impact
The landing gear takes the full force of descent. The tires are the first to make contact with the runway.
They do not resist impact. They absorb it.
In life, you will have landings. Hard moments, unexpected turns, painful truths.
Mindfulness is not about avoiding those moments. It is about being soft enough to absorb them and strong enough to keep rolling.
You are more resilient than you think.
You Need Rest and Realignment
Tires are not used forever. They are checked, rotated, and replaced. Their wear is measured and respected.
We often forget to do that with ourselves.
We burn out. We keep going. We ignore the signs.
Mindfulness reminds you that you are allowed to pause.
Rest is not failure. Maintenance is not weakness.
It is how you keep going for the long haul.
The Unsung Heroes
Nobody claps for the tires when a plane lands safely. But without them, the journey never even begins.
Mindfulness is quite like that. It does not seek attention. It does not shout.
But it carries everything.
Your breath, your awareness, and your pauses. They are the silent tires of your inner journey.
As I watched those airplanes take off in Zurich, I felt something shift in me.
A strange gratitude for the overlooked parts of life.
A curiosity for the ordinary.
A renewed respect for the quiet strength we all carry.
So the next time life feels heavy or your path is uncertain, remember:
You are allowed to feel the pressure,
You are built to absorb the impact,
And you are strong enough to keep rolling.
Even if no one notices. Even if no one claps.