I broke my antisocial travel rule this morning and conversed with a stranger on an airplane. The flight from Green Bay to Chicago is relatively short, and I found I didn’t mind when Kathy, an American Airlines flight attendant on her way to O’Hare to work, struck up a conversation.
To be fair, she opened by asking me about my Harry Potter book and made a beautiful suggestion to mark in the book after each reread to keep track, maybe keep a note about something new I noticed or wanted to remember. It was thoughtful and kind, so we kept talking.
She told me stories about how people react in emergency situations on airplanes – from freezing in their seats, to crying, to writing notes to loved ones, to asking if this might make them miss their connecting flight . . .
(As a gentle reminder to all, please don’t worry about personal possessions or schedules in an emergency situation)
We talked about intuition and the perils of ignoring it. That sixth sense we all have, some more than others, that something ordinary is suddenly off. We talked about the morning she sat unexpectedly bolt upright in bed to turn on the news to see 9/11 had happened moments before.
She told me about her younger brother, who died when she was my age, and how two days after he died she was looking for a sign late at night that he was okay and she felt a gentle hand on top of her own in the dark.
I told her about my brother, his wedding, and showed her pictures. We talked about marriage and empowering women and remembering to look back on birthdays and notice how much we’ve changed and the Native American lawyer in Green Bay who is slowly buying back all the land that was stripped from him.
We had a full conversation on our short flight and I’ll admit usually I get annoyed talking to strangers if the talking happens unexpectedly – I’m an asshole like that – but I didn’t feel that way this morning. If I wanted, I could take this as a sign that more connection is waiting for me . . . if I’m open to it.
This next flight (Chicago to Austin) however, I’m reading Harry Potter.
WIth Love,
Natalie