Champagne and Socks

An aspect of my trip that I don’t think I’ve really captured in these posts has been all the random people I’ve bumped into and a shared a moment, or an experience with. I changed my attitude a while back in terms of how I interface with the world, after a discussion I had with Ben Payne one time. His idea basically was that if you expect harshness because that’s what you bring, that’s what you will receive. I paraphrase wildly. So that if you flip that, imagine how you could navigate and experience the world. And in so many little ways, that has been my trip. From sharing a snarky remark with a TSA worker about a rude dude who couldn’t step aside to take his fricking watch off and let me pass, to all kinds of random kindnesses – even small things can lift and brighten your day.

I’ll get back to finishing off my con blogging but I wanted to record my last leg of the trip I just did – LA to Hong Kong. I ended up falling asleep before the plane took off (I don’t remember it taking flight) and slept maybe 8 hours? The lady next to me was very sweet and kind but she fell unwell midflight. I don’t cope well with that so I got up and wandered down to the back of the plane and stood there and watched the stewards working flat out with people asking for water and noodles. I asked if I could be moved but I think I was kinda ignored. I went back to check on the lady and she was asking me about the sick bag. So I headed back and told them she was very unwell and I no longer wished to sit next to her. One of the stewards rushed about and found me a new seat, it was in the middle of the row though (I didn’t mind) and the people were happy for me to move. I explained to the lady that I was moving and she could have the aisle seat as well, since she was already kinda splayed on it, she seemed pleased and then I moved.

I apologised to the guy as I slunk into my new seat – I do know the thrill of the empty middle seat and I was taking that away from them. He was all set up with about 5 different devices and working on his laptop the whole flight. Frankly, he seemed high maintenance. But I endeavoured to not make any more fuss! I watched Friends with Benefits and the rest of America’s Next Top Model and what not.

But the old lady next to me on the other side, I soon realised, was paralysed down her left side, the side I was sitting next to. I wasn’t really sure what was appropriate but when she dropped things I picked them up and she asked me to show her how to use the inflight entertainment. I was ok switching it all to Cantonese for her but after that, look my Cantonese ain’t that flash. But she figured it out. And every now and then she asked me to help her with something and I was happy to. Airline seatbelts aren’t actually that easy to fasten with one hand. Anyway, she was very lovely. We tried to speak a bit, she had broken English. And at some point I was sure she was a spy for Tehani because when I declined the need to pop out to use the rest room she interrogated me on just how many hours it was since I had last gone. And how much water I had drunk. And when I was sneezing (airplane aircon makes my nose run), she checked to see how warm my cardigan was.

As the flight landed, she told me that when the steward had told her someone wanted to move to sit next to her, she had not minded. She said she’d been a little lonely and then I came and I helped her with things and it made her so happy that I had moved. As I got up to leave, we embraced hands and wished each other the best with the rest of our journeys.

What do I do with that?!

My being uncomfortable in one place enabled me to do a mitzvah in turn. I’m so glad I was able to help her and make her journey better.