—Out of comfort zone.
And on a totally different subject from Couture..
Ah Yes, the glorious airplane.
A metal tube hurtling through the sky at 500 miles per hour, packed to the brim with strangers of all shapes and sizes. What better place to strike up a conversation with that lovely old lady who smells vaguely of cabbage or that large sweaty man invading your personal space?
In all seriousness though, meeting people on planes can be an adventure! You never know who you'll be seated next to for that 10 hour flight. It could be the chatty hippie dude who wants to bond over your shared love of kombucha. Or the busy businesswoman who needs some peace and quiet.
I've had some fascinating conversations with random seatmates over the years.
Last month I was on a flight to Barcelona,
A red eye flight, I was exhausted and definitely not excited about sitting with a stranger for 11 hours. I arrived into my seat and got comfortable,
While cleaning my seat with Clorox wipes (yes I am that weirdo germaphobe) I noticed an old lady getting comfortable right next to me,
She said Hi in her soft voice yet thick accent.
I wasn’t excited about it but long story short I happened to know her cousin in Mexico, in fact the owner of my favorite little restaurant over there, La Cocina de Doña Estela.
Small world right?
I’m telling you the possibilities are endless..
Or like last week on my flight back to LA from Paris,
I meet Sophie from Mallorca, we were shy the first two hours and by the fifth hour we were bonding over beauty products and Havaianas.
We gently got silent and took short naps but by the last hour she showed me her new addition to her bag collection, — her Birkin Bag
We were like kids talking about candies.
The soft leather, the exquisite hardware.
She was really excited and I couldn’t stop thinking silently; Carrying one of these absurdly overpriced handbags is like wearing a giant flashing neon sign that screams "I have more money than sense!"
I ended up confessing that I’ve been wanting to acquire one myself for a long time..
We arrived in LA, we shared social media accounts and we both part ways.
Ok, I am not going to sit here and talk about all my seatmate experiences but you just have to be open to connecting and take that leap to start chatting with your airplane neighbor. The worst that happens is you get ignored by someone who wants to nap. The best that happens is you make a new buddy to grab lunch with during your layover. So next time you fly, say hi to that stranger next to you! The friendly skies await.
—Adrian Arredondo x