As someone who took the COVID-19 work-from-home lifestyle as nothing new having worked remotely since 2017, I valued connection with others long before we were forced to stay home. I hope others have learned similar values through connection after 2+ years of isolation. I cherish so much what stories and types of people I can meet, get to know, or learn from. Social interaction is brief for me with working from home and recently moving to another state. By opening myself up to such opportunities while traveling, in public, or simply showing a smile or eye contact, I have met some incredible people I can only credit the universe for putting such people in my path. One such interaction has continued to stay close to me as a prime example of allowing yourself to connect with others, embrace a community-minded social life, and learn so much about life's endless paths.
Back in 2018 I was traveling home from a work trip and was departing on a 3 1/2 hour flight. It was a late afternoon flight, which I find important because it wasn't during typical morning work or sleep windows. Sitting down I was beside two men, one in his mid-50s and the other around my age. The man in the middle seat next to me shared a nice smile and "Hello" with me before opening his book. For me, I had so many options to choose from to occupy my flight time from work catchups, a book, a movie, or music. After considering each one I felt a strong intuition to avoid all my options and just sit there in silence for a while. I enjoyed reflecting on my trip and then at some point the man next to me sparked a conversation and I was happy to oblige.
It took no time to share each other's hometowns, occupations, what our travels were about, you know the regular small talk topics. Within minutes we discovered we were both twins! This was a major WOAH moment. What are the odds of all the people on this plane that two twins end up sitting next to each other? That blew the conversation wide open! Twin talk is fascinating since there are so many similarities in how you're raised, growing up with another person involved in everything, the desires for individuality, personality differences, and friend choices, all the above. We no sooner are going down the twin rabbit hole of chatter when low and behold the man on the other side of him chimes in. He leans over to us and says "I'm a twin too." Ok now I'm thinking this is just too weird of a coincidence. He proceeded to take off his headphones and put his phone away to join in on this unique moment.
Fast forward two hours and we are approaching LAX, the three of us having talked nearly the entire flight. What a beautiful experience this was for all of us in our own ways and for each of us to recognize the rarity of this happening on a plane and to be sitting in the same single row.
Upon departing the plane we shared names and the middle-aged man and I connected on Facebook. We expressed how pleasing it was to meet one another and how much we enjoyed this flight compared to others. The man my age I could tell was subdued and more reserved in his feelings about being a twin, but as we got further into the conversation I could see the recognition of how special having a built-in best friend was growing up and he could change his outlook on it in his adult years. The older man shared that he and his twin were not in communication and hadn't been for over 10 years. He pondered and reflected if what drove them apart was really worth the past decade and years to come. He did tell me he felt inclined to reach out to his twin brother in an attempt to move forward. I was the closest with my twin out of us three, maybe it's a female thing or the age but even I left this encounter with more appreciation for this blessing of being a twin.
You really never know who you can meet or connect with, you have to take the first step and open yourself up to it. Say hello, make eye contact or compliment someone, it goes a long way and can transpire into something unique that you or the other person really need at that moment in time. Two way connection is so much more healthy for your mind and spirit than staring at a screen. Your phone can wait, your social media account isn't going anywhere, but the people you pass by are fleeting.
Here's a photo of us three twins in flight!
