A Girl Walks on to A Plane…

On the morning of Thanksgiving 2015, I set out to check an item off of my bucket list: Decorate the White House for the Holiday season.  Wait what?? You heard me right.  Shout out to all the other nerds who enjoy year after year the HGTV special that tours the White House and shows off the backbreaking work of the volunteers who set into motion the holiday season in Washington DC.  Being the go-getter that I am, I knew one day this was something I was going to do. So after many unsuccessful attempts, I FINALLY was selected for one of the 90 coveted spots, out of thousands of applicants, to trek to Washington D.C. to begin the week long process of preparing “America’s House” (I used that in my application letter – really hammed it up for the judges).  This whole experience could, and may be, another post on its own – not because it has anything to do with air travel but basically it was one of my favorite experiences I have ever gotten a chance to be a part of.  But let’s get back to the good stuff…

It’s early morning, my nerves are taking over and I am in fully anxiety mode getting to the airport for my pre-dawn flight.  There is always a certain hustle and bustle of the holidays in an airport – the crisp smell of brewing coffee as people grab-n-go to catch their flights,  the families running through the airport while one grumpy child straggles behind, promising to make it a terrible travel day for anyone they encounter – it’s the holidays at its finest.  I got to my gate, ready to board my  flight to Austin, make a quick connection and off to DC for the time of my life.  We were meeting at the White House that evening with all the other volunteers, gathering for our assignments and hoping to get some cool swag, ( I got a “Christmas at the White House apron, no big deal), so missing my flight and connection was non-negotiable.

As I sat down in my seat, there was a certain feeling of festivity in the air. People were in an unusually good mood, possibly heading to celebrate with family and friends or just jazzed about the long weekend on the horizon but my guess was mostly the fact that on holidays, certain airlines serve FREE DRINKS.  Oh you heard me right, nothing screams Pilgrim and Indian Brunch Buffet like Bloody Mary’s en route to Austin! 

As I sat down, I was next to a very friendly women, to be honest I can’t remember her name (did I mention free drinks for Thanksgiving?). She was probably close to my mom’s age.  As we settled in and our drinks were poured, we made surface level conversation. She mentioned she was going to see family but quickly changed the subject, asking where I was heading.  Of course, I nerded out and told her what I was up to. She had a million questions and promised to record the show and look for me. 

After a little liquid courage and maybe realizing I was a decent listening ear that she would never see again, she proceed to tell me that she was heading to Texas to see her dying mother. This would be the last holiday they spent together. We talked about the difficulties of dementia with the added complications of cancer, we talked about how it was a weird sense of sadness but relief that she would no longer have to live in a state of confusion and by the end of our impromptu therapy session, we were both crying, commiserating over the fact that life was precious and we were both so grateful to have the people we do in our lives.  I gave her a squeeze, knowing I would never see her again or find out how her visit was but knowing I would say an extra prayer for her for peace and comfort as she navigated this new chapter of her life.

We had been a little bit delayed getting out of Phoenix, I thought I would have more time in Austin to grab some food, however with saying my good-byes to my new friend and trying to find my gate, I ended up doing the ultimate walk of shame – the airport run – to make my flight on time.  Making it to a half-full plane, I plopped down in an aisle seat just in time for take off.

A couple minutes into the flight, I started to feel not great. Not drunk, not throw-up sick, just not good in a “I know this isn’t normal but not really sure why”.  I was removing layers of clothes as I was profusely sweating and mentally berating myself for missing the gym the last couple weekish-months, that made a mild airport run send me into full cardiac arrest. But to no avail, I just couldn’t shake the feeling.

I thought the next logical thing to do would be splash some water on my face and take a couple deep breaths.  Good in theory but bad in execution because about 5 seconds and 2 aisles after standing up, the place went black….you guessed it folks, I passed out ON A PLANE – in the aisle, dead center, on that dirty carpet, hindering beverage service, full blown out cold. 

When I came to, there was a doctor, a flight attendant and a bunch of people staring at me asking my basic medical history and if I needed them to land the plane.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!  Yeah let’s land this entire plane of people in like Dayton, Ohio on Thanksgiving, no one would hate me at all.  When the doctor asked if I knew what the date was, I told her Thanksgiving and when they asked where we were going I told them D.C. – I decided it best to leave out, I was going to the White House. I figured that might raise some red flags about my cognitive abilities.  I was dehydrated and much to my surprise, the doctor did not consider my breakfast of bloody Mary’s and plane peanuts substantial or…how did she phrase it?….mildly irresponsible.  With that, I went back to my seat, enjoyed as many ginger ales as I could consume and remained completely consciousness the rest of the flight.  To say I was embarrassed was an understatement but it made for a good dinner party story or travel blog post 🙂

Lessons Learned from Thanksgiving-palooza 2015:

1. You never know what kind of baggage people are carrying – yes, pun intended.  Talking to strangers can be therapeutic, for you and them.  The fact that a women could pour her heart out, cry with a stranger and share meant probably as much to me as it did to her.  I love to be able to be someone that people trust to be vulnerable with. If me, a stranger on a plane, was the person that she could be herself with, share her fears and then leave and be strong for her family, I am glad I could be that support to her, and a drinking buddy.  I have been on the reverse side, sharing and word vomiting and there is something very cathartic about being able to share with no judgement, no backstory, no bias.  Just two people connecting. 
2. Eat breakfast. I would say don’t drink but what fun is that?  Also, if you do pass out on the floor of a plane, ask them for a blanket because the whole 20 minutes they made me lay there until my pupils went back to their normal size, I was driving my heart rate up thinking of how many sick feet have walked this carpet that my hair was touching.  Trivial yes, but guys, I was going to the White House!