Delayed Reaction

Flying these days is much more of a somber affair than it ever used to be. Granted, we are slowly getting used to being able to read when someone is smiling without actually seeing the majority of the smile but that’s not the whole story. Passengers are not only fewer in number, they also sit much farther apart than usual. Arm rests are no longer fought over. The game of “elbonics” (where two adjacent passengers use their elbows to “win” the one arm rest between them) has disappeared and become a flight crew distant memory. People sleep more. Use the bathroom on the aircraft less. And I don’t remember the last time someone tried to turn a galley into a gym (you know, on a short two hour flight they simply HAD to stretch so found somewhere they thought appropriate to do that - the galley)! Flying is very different and I don’t like it nearly as much as “before”.

I think the part of my job I love the most is interaction with people. Most days I could remember most of the first few rows of people by name and would glean a key fact about each and use that as a trigger to engage in conversation before they left. “I hope your interview tomorrow goes well.” or “Enjoy your visit with your grand children.” “What is your new puppies name? and do you have a picture of him?” Most of those opportunities are gone. Even eye contact is increasingly hard.

However, eyes are now more important than ever. Looking at the picture today my eyes say a couple of things. First, yes, I’m smiling. You CAN see that in most people can’t you? and the second thing maybe, that this is the end of a long three day trip and I’m ready to be home with my feet up!

There’s something else obviously though. That handset has had a couple of eyes added to it, did you notice? Whoever put them there (and no, in this particular case it wasn’t me - maybe) couldn’t know who would next see them or when but would almost certainly be sure to cause a smile …later!

Think about the “googly eyes” and whoever put them there for a moment. What an interesting thing, the joke is simple and yet clever. It’s bound to cause a smile but the joker would rarely know, or see who it was they made smile. That’s lovely. Spreading happiness without knowing who you are affecting and yet doing it anyway.

Whoever it was ;-) had found a way of bringing a little joy to another crew without even meeting them.

…But here’s the interesting thing. There was a second, delayed reaction as I handed the aircraft over to the next crew. I didn’t say anything, but I smiled again thinking of what I knew they would find as soon as they needed to make an announcement.