I met him on the plane. His name is George and he stole my heart. He has the sweetest, warmest face. We talked for the two hour flight and I hardly understood anything he said but I pretended to because it made him smile. He asked me where I lived and my name and was genuinely interested. He kept asking the flight attendant for cookies and stashed them away in his hat, saying he liked cookies and crackers with tea. I watched as he took one out of his hiding place and snuck it into my hand whispering, 'I love cookies but I want to share my cookie with you. Save one for later to have with some tea.' I took the cookie. I smiled inside. I asked George how old he was and he said he didn't know. He said he didn't remember much these days. I was listening to John Legend and he took my phone and listened with me. You should have seen how happy he was. At one point, George asked if we were still moving or if we had stopped. I pointed to the clouds outside and said we were still moving. His conversation was soothing and so sweet. And then he did it. He asked if my phone was a camera. I said yes. He said, 'Take a picture of me so you can remember me.' I almost lost it. He grabbed my hand and took one of my silver bracelets so he could remember me. He said he'd see me next year and that we'd met before. It made me wonder if God keeps sending me the same angel in different forms.

I don't know what George did 20 years ago. I don't know if George beat his wife or was a rehabilitated killer. I don't know if George was racist or hated animals. All I know is that George's angelic face and smile was exactly what I needed today and when he hugged me and asked if he made me happy today, I squeezed him, told him yes and just said Thank you Lord.

Anything for Junior's cheesecake

On Southwest this morning, going from NY to Atl. This guy decided to sit in the middle seat between me, a good sized human and the lady at the window, another good sized human. He's a good sized human. There are seats everywhere.

Now, here he is, jacket still on, a big bag of food, a large drink, a Junior's cheesecake in a box and bag and his laptop open and on, watching CNN. My God man! Where is the travel etiquette?

And he has the nerve to ask if I want half of his bagel-egg-and cheese. I was so upset. Why didn't he ask if I wanted cheesecake?😡

Oh yeah, and a lady tried to open the exit door , in flight, thinking it was the bathroom.
#travelshenanigans

Turbulence, the great equalizer

When race and gender doesn't matter: during turbulence on a flight.

I proved that tonight when the same white guy, who gave me the stink eye and didn't help as I struggled to get my bag in the overhead, grabbed and held my hand through the unexpected and horribly long bumps.

I just told him to relax and it would be alright.
#gottariseabovethehate

Common ground

Just a minute of your time, please. #soapbox #airplanechronicles

I'm not always a good 'judge' of character. 

I was having a crappy day, dreading going back to work this week because I had such a restful and long weekend. I got to the airport with anxiety build up because I didn't want to leave home and Lila didn't either. She flies twice a week and has to be exhausted, if I am. 

I boarded the flight and I'd been upgraded again. My seat was 2F, the window seat, by the exit, beside this older gentleman. I immediately thought he would give me the stare down, judge me, and the flight to Chicago would be tense. 

Before I could sit, he said, 'hi neighbor'. I smiled because I usually do that kind of stuff. I was struggling to get Lila under my seat. Under 2F is smaller than other seats. He saw me struggling and offered to move 'his' bag from under 'his' seat so that Lila would be comfy. He didn't know I had a dog in there but he saw me struggling. 

After thanking him and getting my act together, I settled in and ordered a Bloody Mary. Bill, as I later found out his name was, asked if Atl was home. I told him yes and he asked how I felt about the loss yesterday. I smiled and said I was unaffected. It wasn't my usual Kelly smile though. It was an 'alternative' smile. 

He saw the bag move and asked if I had a dog in there. I said yes. This gentleman and I talked for about 40 minutes until he fell asleep. Turns out Bill had flown into Atl, from Chicago, this morning, and was flying back to Chicago now.  We talked about Lila and his dog Peaches, who had passed away while being spayed at 6 months. I cried and he held back tears. Dog people will understand. 

I say all this to say a few things. If you were paying attention, you picked up on them all. 

• I judged a stranger who I thought would judge me. I made him a mean person without reason. 

• I was being ungrateful. I was upset about going back to work, instead of being grateful I had said job, a job that has afforded me so many great opportunities. 

• This man had been on a plane three times today, was exhausted but still found it opportune to be nice and in a good mood. I had slept all weekend. 

• I was upgraded and almost lost how good a gift that was. Bloody Marys, snacks and a comfy seat. It also meant I'd exit much sooner and Lila could pee sooner as well.

• I almost allowed my stupid pride and  independence leave Lila uncomfortable under a tight seat for 1.5 hrs. 

• This stranger and I shared the most dearest thing to my heart, the love for and sudden loss of a pet. ❤️ 

Am I usually a complaining asshole?  No. But today, I was. I let what I thought was a not so great day bleed into the rest of my life. Life is horribly short and full of surprises guys, both good and bad. Choose which to fuel. 

Own your faults.

Appreciate, love, accept and humbly receive or you'll be left missing all your blessings. 

Happy Monday all!

#findthatcommonthread