This morning I hopped on a plane to PHX to go meet with clients and to see my dad over the holiday weekend. It was a flight like any other: long security lines, shoes off, shoes on, wheeling to the gate, reading to pass the time spent waiting that inevitably seems twice as long as it is. But I was eager to go see my dad and celebrate with him, especially since it was Easter weekend. I also thought of my mom, Joyce, and said a little blessing for her. (She died 6 years ago next month) I think of her often when I travel, because there’s always some weird “coincidence” or uncanny similarity that pops up to remind me of her. Ah yes. Joyce. Not only was she the consummate traveler, but she also trained me early on to make the best of things…..and it seems the oddities of travel these days give me PLENTY of opportunities to follow those childhood lessons.

Time to board. As I’m rolling down the jetway they announce this is a completely full flight – no empty seats – so I begin imagining the perfect seat for me: aisle, close to the front, next to someone small, nice and not too talkative.

Once I’m inside the front of the plane, I see no aisle seats for miles, so I shift to homing in on the next-best-thing kind of seat. (And I’m fine taking a middle seat because my bag fits perfectly under there and it’s a short flight.)

Right there, second row, is a middle seat between two nice, elderly ladies. I pounce! “May I please scoot in there?” I ask. The woman in the aisle seat offers to move to the middle and I discourage her, explaining that my bag has to go under there. She’s wonderfully sassy and shoots back with, “Honey, my legs are so short they won’t even know your bag is there!” So she scoots, I push the bag under, and pow – there I am in an aisle seat, close to the front, next to someone small, nice and not too talkative.

Ahem.

Or maybe that should be “Amen!” The angels are always looking out for me, and some days that is more obvious than others!

So I say a big thank you and do a pre-flight chat with the woman next to me, and the window seat lady, neither of whom knows the other, but they are both going to New Orleans. Actually, “N’awlins” to hear nice middle seat lady talk about it. :o)

Me: "Don’t you look beautiful in your lavender from head to toe! You’re wearing my mom’s favorite color. She would love that!" (I’m thinking, “Hi Mom! Message received. I get the hint. Howdy do.”)

Middle Seat Lady: "Oh, how nice. Where’s your mom?"

Me: "Oh, she’s in heaven, but lavender is STILL her favorite color!"

MSL: "Oh, she’s passed on. My, my."

Me: "Yep. She was quite a gal. I’m Michelle. What’s your name?"

MSL: "Vera. Nice to meet you Michelle. It’s not often I sit next to such nice people."

Me: (realizing this included the Window Seat Lady, I directed my eyes to her and said) "Hi there, my name’s Michelle. What’s your name?"

Window Seat Lady: "Joyce. Nice to meet you."

Indeed.