The Flightmate

The past 2 weeks I have been on travel for work in Baltimore. During this time I also spent some time traveling to D.C. as well. It was a lot of fun, but lots of work at the same time. On Friday, I got to the airport and prepared to leave for home. I got on the plane and waited to see who would be sitting next to me. This is always interesting. Will I get someone that doesn't want to talk, a little kid, or someone that would take up both their seat and mine. I waited until the plane was almost completely boarded, when an elderly gentleman sat down right next to me. I wasn't sure what to expect when he sat down and was completely surprised how much of an impact this gentleman would have on me. Even though I was sitting by the window, he looked out the window like a little kid on their first flight. His arms and legs were shaking like he was nervous, but I could tell it was not nervousness. The plane took off and he continued to look outside and move around. Finally after we had completed our takeoff, the gentleman finally spoke. We completed the usual small talk and he proceeded to tell me about his trip. He was going to visit his daughter who was graduating with her doctorate degree. He continued telling me more about his life and I realized he had had a very tough life. One of his kids died and his wife had a severe case of Alzheimers and passed away a few years ago. All through this, he kept a positive attitude and looked forward to what was next in life. Next week is his 87th birthday and he truley believes that life is too short to not have a positive attitude. He told me that he loves flying and every time he fully enjoys it because he never knows when it will be his last. My conversation with this gentleman really made me think about all the things I take forgranted. So my goal for this week is to really think about things and enjoy everything I do, even though it may not be the best situation!