Fifty Days of Gratitude: Days 29 & 30

We flew home late yesterday from time with family as we said goodbyes to my Beloved's aunt. While we fly frequently, I'm not a fan. Oh, mind you, I love getting somewhere far, far away in a very quick manner. It's just the whole getting into an airplane and cedeing control that doesn't do much for me. Plus, I hate turbulence. I have a nephew who is a commercial pilot and another family member who flies for the United States Forest Service and I'm 100% certain they wouldn't do this if they thought it was unsafe. They've told me as much. They've offered many reassurances. Still, it is what it is.

Yesterday, there were storms between "here" and "there" when we were flying. Before we took off, our pilot even noted that we were likely in for a bumpy ride. But my gratitude for this day comes from the kindest act by two complete strangers on that airplane, as we were boarding. Because we'd had to change our flight, Bruce and I weren't seated together - we were each in a middle seat, in the same row, but across the aisle. Between the liklihood of turbulence and this, I was grumpy when I boarded the plane. As we boarded, Bruce put my water bottle in my seat and said to the woman on the aisle - "this is my wife's" - then he sat in his seat. The two women on the aisle looked at each other and said "let's switch so they can sit together" and one of them gave up her aisle seat to take my middle seat so I could sit with Bruce. Having no idea that I was feeling as uncertain as the weather, they offered us a small act of kindness that made a huge difference for the time we were in the air.

It was a bumpy ride, but I was sitting next to the person who makes almost everything in life smoother. When we landed I thanked them (profusely) again for their generosity - which they shrugged off. I get the feeling these two women make life easier for a lot of people.. I'm so thankful for them.