Never say "Never"

Many think I'm a 'people person.' I guess because I'm generally friendly and greet people with a smile. And my business requires me to be with people all the time and of course, I do that willingly and happily. But when push comes to shove, I enjoy solitude much more than most would understand.

I crave time alone, a fact which really bothers my husband. He shouldn't take it personally. It is what it is (my new favorite saying).

A classic example is when we travel. When we fly (frequently on flights of 4 hours or more), the husband alternately reads and sleeps. I've never been able to sleep on a plane so I read. And when I am forced to sit next to a stranger, I make a vow of silence. And I almost always keep that vow.

And then along came Rose.

Two weeks ago, we traveled once again to the Puget Sound area to see our oldest son, his wife and our beloved Emme; this time our youngest son and his wife were able to join us (more on the trip in another post).


It was a three-leg, two-plane flight out. The longest leg was St. Louis to Salt Lake. The plane was full, which meant I had to sit next to a stranger - the most delightful stranger I ever met.

I don't even know how the conversation started but I was a willing participant from the begining. Our flight attendants were unlike any I'd seen - our first clue was the announcement, "This is a non-smoking, non-complaining, non-whining flight," shortly after takeoff. And the banter never stopped.

Rose and I chuckled often and the words just flowed. We could have been old friends or sisters - it was just so comfortable and easy. She was almost old enough to be my mom, but that seemed totally irrelevant.

Rose revealed that it was her birthday. And then we found out it was the lead flight attendant's birthday. She started to make presents for Rose (she felt badly that she didn't have anything more than "wings" to give her) - a decorated blown-up rubber glove and a tiara made of bags of snack peanuts, bandaids and drink stirrers. The entire plane sang "happy birthday" twice.

We had the attention of the flight attendants for most of the trip (we sat in the very first row) - something that didn't go unnoticed by others. I bet they were jealous of the fun we were having. (Either that or they thought we were crazy.)

When I told Rose that I rarely if ever talked to strangers on airplanes, she didn't really seem surprised and I wonder why. Wouldn't it be funny if she were the same way?

Rose and I have already e-mailed each other and I sent her these photos. I hope I run into her again on another long, otherwise boring flight to the West.

Have you ever had a turn-around experience that really made you rethink what you're all about?