Guilty as charged: I am one of those reserved people emanating an unwelcoming aura screaming "LEAVE ME IN PEACE" when sitting in my seat on a plane. Or I thought I was, at least. That was until a recent flight and one of the most chatty seat neighbors I've ever experienced in my life. I can't tell you his name because he never told me and was never silent long enough for me to ask, but I can tell you just about every other detail of his long, eventful life.
I will never forget the first words that seat neighbor man spoke to me as he plopped down beside me: "well, one sardine can to the next I guess!" He was referring to the lack of space in modern airplane seating, of course, and to the fact that this was a continuation of the first leg of his trip. I can't even fathom the look that must have befallen my face but I know it must have portrayed anger, irritation, or some attractive combo of the two unpleasant emotions. Somehow I forged a smile, or at least a fraction of one, in the hopes that this gesture would be friendly but not so friendly it would encourage further interaction. The smile must have been more inviting than intended, as he then plunged into his life story, starting with informing me of his occupation as an elderberry farmer and listing the health benefits of the under-appreciated berry (his words). Prior to elderberries, he raised sheep- a very specific breed of sheep that did not require shearing (he then explained to me how many different breeds there are and their varying textures of fur/hair).
About an hour into the flight put us around an hour into his life story. At this point I learned that he was dressed in a full suit as he was en route to his sister's funeral. She lived just outside San Jose where he lived briefly himself while stationed at an air force base there. He met his first wife with whom he had two children but married her too young and they divorced. He met his second wife at a high school reunion and whisked her off her feet in a whirlwind dance. She worked as a teacher but traveled with him when he was deployed. They lived in Japan where they adopted two children, one of whom died in her forties due to poor diet leading to diabetes. They then lived in Greece, his favorite spot.
At this point, the plane hit a spot of turbulence and I gripped the tiny armrests so hard my knuckles whitened. This jarred my seat neighbor from his anecdote of the moment and he shifted his efforts to attempting to calm me down. "Young lady, do you think this pilot WANTS to die? No, he doesn't, and he is going to do his best to get us out of this. You know how turbulence works?" Then he was off and running with a full-on explanation of the physics of turbulence followed by stories of frightening flying maneuvers he experience in the air force.
At one point, he expressed to me how truly grateful he was to live his life exactly as he did- married to the love of his life (the second time), living where he lived all around the world, and as a recent Mormon convert. He then informed me how blessed he felt that he was "only shot at once, and they missed." What a great perspective on life! It forced me to think about my cushy life during which, I can gladly say, I have NEVER been shot at.
I will never forget the first words that seat neighbor man spoke to me as he plopped down beside me: "well, one sardine can to the next I guess!" He was referring to the lack of space in modern airplane seating, of course, and to the fact that this was a continuation of the first leg of his trip. I can't even fathom the look that must have befallen my face but I know it must have portrayed anger, irritation, or some attractive combo of the two unpleasant emotions. Somehow I forged a smile, or at least a fraction of one, in the hopes that this gesture would be friendly but not so friendly it would encourage further interaction. The smile must have been more inviting than intended, as he then plunged into his life story, starting with informing me of his occupation as an elderberry farmer and listing the health benefits of the under-appreciated berry (his words). Prior to elderberries, he raised sheep- a very specific breed of sheep that did not require shearing (he then explained to me how many different breeds there are and their varying textures of fur/hair).
About an hour into the flight put us around an hour into his life story. At this point I learned that he was dressed in a full suit as he was en route to his sister's funeral. She lived just outside San Jose where he lived briefly himself while stationed at an air force base there. He met his first wife with whom he had two children but married her too young and they divorced. He met his second wife at a high school reunion and whisked her off her feet in a whirlwind dance. She worked as a teacher but traveled with him when he was deployed. They lived in Japan where they adopted two children, one of whom died in her forties due to poor diet leading to diabetes. They then lived in Greece, his favorite spot.
At this point, the plane hit a spot of turbulence and I gripped the tiny armrests so hard my knuckles whitened. This jarred my seat neighbor from his anecdote of the moment and he shifted his efforts to attempting to calm me down. "Young lady, do you think this pilot WANTS to die? No, he doesn't, and he is going to do his best to get us out of this. You know how turbulence works?" Then he was off and running with a full-on explanation of the physics of turbulence followed by stories of frightening flying maneuvers he experience in the air force.
At one point, he expressed to me how truly grateful he was to live his life exactly as he did- married to the love of his life (the second time), living where he lived all around the world, and as a recent Mormon convert. He then informed me how blessed he felt that he was "only shot at once, and they missed." What a great perspective on life! It forced me to think about my cushy life during which, I can gladly say, I have NEVER been shot at.
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| The joys of air travel! |
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