Slice of Life: Airplane Serendipity!

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Tuesday Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Betsy, Beth, Kathleen, Deb, Melanie, and Lanny

 for hosting this meeting place each Tuesday and nurturing our writing lives.

Did you notice the title for this post?  Does the idea of putting air travel and serendipity together seem like an oxymoron?  Somehow, we've learned to grit our teeth just to get through the hoops of air travel and the inevitable delays and problems that frequently pop up.  But on Sunday, I had surprises scattered along the way as we came home from a long weekend celebrating  our son's birthday and enjoying time with him and his family.  

The first surprise was when a flight attendant squeezed my hand as she arrived at the gate.  I looked up from my book to see Carol Ann, a friend from our community!  She asked where we were seated and assured us that she would take good care of us.   She and her son are both flight attendants, but this was the first time I've ever had a flight attendant I know personally on a trip.  And she did take good care of us!

The second surprise happened when a couple took their seats on my row, commented that they recognized me and my husband from the Thursday flight, engaged in a minimal amount of small talk, and then left me alone for the remainder of the flight.  Flying time is always sacred time just for me, usually for reading or sleeping.  And so I appreciate seat mates who don't want to chat.

The third surprise occurred while I was frenetically searching for the snack size bag of M&Ms that I had taken from our ferocious lion's Trunk or Treat Halloween stash (see his pic on Saturday's Celebrate This Week post).  There's something about flying that requires frequent small snacks for me.  With a purse and a carry-on bag, there were multiple pockets to explore where my M&Ms might be hidden.  Just so you know, I never did locate the M&Ms, but what I did discover was infinitely more valuable.  A tube of lipstick and not just any lipstick, but an almost new tube of my favorite color (which has been discontinued).   Just this last week after multiple searches of all my handbags and the pockets of all my jackets, and reaching the end of two tubes of lipstick, I had finally made my way to the makeup counter and purchased two new colors, neither one as pleasing to me as my old favorite.  So it was all I could do to keep from squealing with delight when I found squirreled away in a tiny pocket of my travel bag an almost new tube of Sunstone, my favorite lipstick!

So the next time you find yourself dreading a flight, remember that sometimes airplane and serendipity can occur in the same phrase. Watch for and savor the pleasant surprises that may be sprinkled along your way home!