I’m flying home on Southwest from Tampa today via Denver. (Travel tip: when you’re boarding the airline the flight attendant is always standing in the emergency exit row taking up a seat– ask her if you can have that seat!) they will obviously move for you and there you have it- a great seat practically reserved for you!) my seat mate saw and loved my phone case and so there was the ice breaker. I introduced myself and for the next two something hours we didn’t stop talking! She was in her 50s on her way to Orange County via Denver to be her Vietnam POW ‘daddy’s date’ at a gala where he was being honored. I have not laughed so hard and so long in quite a long while. In that time I learned most of her story, including multiple bouts with different sorts of cancer, raising 4 children singlehandedly including adopting a 14 year old! She was amazing, smart, funny, brilliant (MA, MBA, JD) and so human! The coolest of all was that I was able to add so much value to a woman who obviously has it all! (Drives a Mercedes, lives on the water, multiple homes etc.) she asked me what I did – I told her I was a lifestyle consultant helping people live their best life so they could do what was important to them– I was able to educate her about nutrition, makeup (I drew how to do eye makeup for her gala on a cocktail napkin), Skincare- we talked about rendering plants and animal by-products and why to avoid microwaving food in plastic containers– among a myriad of other things. As we went to exchange numbers – I pulled out my little black book and by happenstance opened to a page on top of which I’d written ‘work with 3 people’ – I showed that to her. She smiled knowingly; you get whatever you ask for- you just have to ask for it.
End result: she’s interested in my 30 day program to drop weight but more exciting she wants to possibly fly me out to Florida to work with her in person- to ‘set her up.’
Wow!!!
The flip side – I could have buried my nose in a book or taken a nap and missed out on getting to know a fascinating person who I will have the pleasure of helping live optimally so that she can focus on what’s really important in her life and world.
So the next time you’re on public transportation step outside your box and make a difference in someone’s life. The feeling is euphoric! I promise you!
The Breathing Space 