This past weekend I was blessed to fly out to Vermont to witness and celebrate the marriage of my beautiful friend. It was my first time flying alone, and I was excited! I love traveling in groups, but sometimes I think that makes it harder to branch out and meet new people on the plane. This time, though, I had six separate plane rides within 72 hours, and plenty of chances to make lots of memories. I thoroughly enjoyed my new friends, and since I’m a stories person, I thought I’d share them here.
Flight #1, Fresno to Salt Lake City, approximately an hour/hour and a half
I met a young optometrist named Alvero. He works at a VA hospital in Fresno and was flying to Tampa for his cousin’s kids’ baptism. He was born in Nicaragua but his family moved to the US when he was 1 due to Communist influence in that country. His family is very tight-knit, and almost all of the five siblings live in the area. Alvero and I carried on a conversation pretty steadily, talking a lot about travel and different places we’ve seen. As we began our descent I inwardly coached myself not to say goodbye too early…that’s always awkward because then you’re just sitting there waiting to get off the plane and then you walk into the airport together and have to say goodbye again. Awkward. So I held my peace. Alvero, however, lacked an inner coach, and he said goodbye too soon. *Sigh* Sure enough, we walked next to each other for a few minutes in the airport, then extended our second goodbyes. My favorite part, though, was when we walked off the plane. The flight attendant was this really peppy, 40-ish year old guy named Danny. I liked Danny. As I followed Alvero off the plane and wished Danny a good day, the attendant muttered to me, “You should get his number.”
Flight #2, Salt Lake City to Detroit, approximately three hours
My original flight plans had been altered, so flying into Detroit (instead of Cleavland) was exciting. So close to home! I sat next to a little girl and her mother who were from the Ann Arbor area, but who would be moving to Salt Lake City within a few months. When she said she was from Ann Arbor, I got really excited.What are the odds of meeting someone on a plane in Utah who lives within half an hour from my hometown in Michigan?! Well, I thought later (after I had freaked out on her in excitement), I guess those odds aren’t too bad when you’re flying into Detroit. … The flight change really got me.The woman was beautiful and spoke in French to her daughter. She didn’t seem entirely open to a lot of conversing, but I was able to sleep most of the flight away.
Flight #3, Detroit to Burlington, approximately one hour
This flight started off with a lot of excitement. We were told we would be delayed for over four hours. Then we found out it would only be one hour. So there was a lot of relieved laughter as we took our seats on the little plane. Shared crisis definitely brings people together, and you could tell by the way we turned in our seats to face each other and laugh about the situation for the next few minutes. There was a young couple with a baby boy; the dad reminded me of my older brother, which made me smile a lot. Eventually I picked up a conversation with the woman next to me. She didn’t mind talking. She struck me as a free-spirit, family-oriented, artsy type. She shared a lot about her experiences with art therapy in the mental health field as well as her newer experiences teaching art at a university in Wisconsin. When she realized I was also in the helping field she did not hesitate to tell me exactly what I would be experiencing. It was a little annoying because she was telling and assuming instead of asking and conversing, but I tried to take a position of humility and just learn what I could from her. I liked her colorful personality overall. At the end of the flight I said, “Well thank you for sharing your wisdom with me!” Her response? “Sure! You’re a lucky seatmate.”
I tried to cover for her and moved on to, “Hope you have a nice trip in Vermont!” Her response? “Thanks, I will.”
So much for reciprocity. 
My very own “Meet the Robinsons” Experience
After a long day of prepping for the wedding, being in the wedding (BEAUTIFUL!) and enjoying the reception with friends, I ended up at the home of my married friend’s sister. She would be the one taking me to the airport at 4am the next morning. I felt bad for being an inconvenience, but tried to just be a low-maintenance, go-with-the-flow guest. As it turned out, her in-law’s family came over that night. When she said they were coming, I pictured parents and kids. Nope. Grandparents, three or four kids with their spouses and about eight children. In an apartment. Total of about 20 people.
If you’ve ever seen Meet the Robinsons, picture the spaghetti and meatball dinner. I would have been content to just watch them interact and laugh at all their stories, but they pulled me right into their company and included me in the mayhem. We played an intense game of boys vs. girls Catchphrase, and at one point someone chucked something at her husband and nailed me in the forehead–that was hilarious. I just can’t describe the kind of joy that comes from being a much loved stranger.
Flight #4, Burlington to D.C.
I sat next to Frank. Or rather, Frank sat next to me. I could tell from the start we would be friends, because before he put his suitcase in the overhead bin he told me to hold his coffee for him. We talked about his dogs, his first marriage, the girls he dated, a boy I almost dated, his daughter…just swapping life stories. (By the way, Frank is in his late 60s or early 70s). He just kind of adopted me for the flight, and as we descended in D.C. he admonished me to be more assertive if I came across a boy I liked. Goodness. Frank stayed with me in the airport until it was time for our paths to part. He shook my hand warmly and wished me well. I felt like I was telling a new grandpa goodbye.
Flight #5, D.C. to Los Angeles
This being a five and a half hour flight, I hoped to catch some pretty serious z’s. I found my seat, and found two empty seats next to me. “Jesus, is this for real? This is nice!” A moment passed. “Wait. You aren’t going to let me get away with this, are You?” On the heels of those prayers came a flight attendant informing me I would be moved so a family could sit together. That was fine with me. It was a mom and two young kids, and she thanked God for the open seats. I asked where I should move, and she said, “Oh you can have 12B or 12E. Actually, there’s a really good looking young man by 12B, so you should go over there.” The flight attendant and I burst out laughing, and she assured me she was just looking out for her fellow man. With the flight attendant behind me, I walked up to row 12…and slid into 12B. Why not? Frank had just told me to be more assertive.
I ended up between two Navy guys, both headed to Hawaii, but they didn’t know each other before hand. They are older and married, so turns out there were no eligible young men by 12B. They were friendly, though, and I was smugly happy to connect the two of them in conversation. At one point they were talking around me and they slipped into their military jargon, and I was effectually out of the loop. I couldn’t resist a grin. Boys are so funny.
Flight #6, Los Angeles to Fresno
I had a single seat next to a window, and across the aisle sat a middle-aged mom, her 5 year old son and baby girl. The kids conked out for the flight, but she was in the mood to talk. She was raised in Fresno, so she was familiar with my campus and we were able to draw some points of connection. She’s going to start homeschooling her son this fall, so we talked about what that would look like and the benefits of homeschooling. It was a short flight, and less than two hours from take-off I was in my apartment, talking on the phone with my wonderful family members.
In conclusion..
I am really enjoying learning how to be friendly. This stems out of my friend teaching me about affirming the humanity of others. The more I do it, the more joy I harvest. And I really hope Christ feels I am spreading His fragrance around.
