Optimizing Time in the Sky

Regardless of one's viewpoint on flying, which are both varied and strong, one cannot deny that the environment on an airplane is unique.  Many people are confined within a small space, and there is no escape, so to speak, for the duration of the flight.  While this can bring out a variety of behaviors in different people, I have found that it provides an interesting opportunity for what can best be described as short-term, rapid, intimacy.

Take a moment to dissect that mouthful and consider that in a short period of time, one can develop a rapid, but relatively intimate relationship with one's travel companions.  There is a certain anonymity in never seeing these people again, so why not share your life story, or whatever else may be on your mind?  Being somewhat shy, I am not typically the initiator of these relationships; however, I have had several memorable exchanges while in the sky.

A flight may be considered wasted time that can never be gotten back, but…

When I was fourteen years old I was returning home from a solo trip to Iceland, and was seated next to a young gentleman who had been summering with Norwegian exchange students from his school.  During takeoff we of course went through the polite pleasantries of where we had been traveling and once we reached cruising altitude, he recommended that I watch the in-flight film The Wedding Singer, as he had seen it previously and thought it was quite funny.  A normal set of circumstances would have had us each tune in to the movie and possibly even falling asleep during the redeye flight.  Unfortunately, the plug-in for my headset was broken, so I simply proceeded to turn off the movie.  My neighbor observed this and made inquiries, so I explained the situation and started rummaging in my backpack for a book or other entertainment.  Being a rather gallant sort, the young man attempted to convince me to use his headset jack instead, since he had seen the film, but the thought of accepting his generous offer made me feel far too guilty.  In the end, he narrated the entire film for me, and it was absolutely hilarious!  Honestly, it was one of the most entertaining movie watching experiences I have ever had.  Instead of quietly doing our own things, we had a very engaging plane ride and did not sleep a wink.  We must have appeared as though we were travel companions to anyone observing our in-flight banter.

On another flight, the woman seated in front of my sister Soley and me, spent the majority of the flight chatting with us.  She preferred to pass the time in a more engaging and dynamic manner than watching in-flight movies, or reading a book.  Happy to talk to an interesting woman, we obligingly listened to her excitement over her trip to Hawaii, and discussed all manner of other topics.  At some point, my blog writing came up and drew her interest.  She was so invested that we ended up becoming Facebook friends, so perhaps she is reading this blog post at this very moment and hopefully recognizes herself in this tale.  While Soley and I could have politely segued out of continuing to chat with our neighbor, she not only offered an opportunity to help pass the time, but was a very interesting person to speak with.

Getting ready for takeoff with my friend Sophany, not knowing I would make another friend before landing at my destination.

The in-flight phenomenon of making fast friends seems to extend to the flight attendants as well.  I have had multiple impactful interactions with my air hosts.  When flying back from a respiratory conference, I was gently shaken awake by the flight attendant shortly before beginning our descent.  I will admit, it was a bit startling, as the man was inches from my face.  He said that he had been flying and traveling for many years, and had always carried a particular item with him, and now he wanted me to have it.  It was a copy of the NikkOh Guardian Angel painting, printed on a wallet sized piece of card stock.  The card clearly showed age and love, being worn about the edges, but that made the gift all the more valuable, as it was clearly something that had been with him for a long time and cherished over the years.  It was an incredibly sweet and generous offering, and I still have the card.

Though these three stories might not seem to have much in common, except that they occurred on planes, I believe that they are linked by something deeper and more meaningful.  Had I passed any of these people on the street, or even in the airport for that matter, we likely would have had very little reason to engage in any sort of socialization.  The fact that we were confined within the same space provided by the airplane, afforded us the opportunity to get to know one another on a more intimate level.  Even though these were just brief passing interludes, each had an impact on me and has remained in my memory.  Somehow, the environment created by flying together allowed me to develop a certain level of intimacy with each of my three travel companions.  My brother-in-law has been known to say, "some people are in our lives for just a season," but that does not mean that the season is not impactful, even if it is as short as a plane ride.  A flight may be considered wasted time that can never be gotten back, but if one is open to allowing that time to be meaningful, it just might become a part of your journey and memories.