Small Acts of Kindness
And Small Bottles of Airplane Alcohol
Recently we flew across the country, my love for work and me tagging along for a cheap vacation. Flying itself is not particularly glamorous, at least not for those of us regular folk, who get trotted past the people in first class and then those in business class to our narrow, cramped seats where we are often anxiously wondering if our roller bag will fit over head or be taken away and placed below. We had a layover both directions, two short flights and two long flights, totaling four flights in just a few days.
On our way there we decided to treat ourselves on the long flight to a drink and a snack. My love ordered a whiskey and a sandwich and me a wine and a fruit and cheese plate. When the total was given it seemed low, and the flight attendant taking my card was not the one who gave us the items. He read everything back except the whiskey, so I told him we had a whiskey as well. “Oh, you were honest, so I am going to give it to you for free,” he said with a smile. I smiled back as I handed him my card and said thank you.
Our first flight home was the long one, it was after a full day of running around and coming off of a few days of busy. My love had lost his debit card the night before and asked me if I thought they would take cash for the beer he wanted. “No, I don’t think they are allowed to anymore, but I will buy you a beer,” I told him. When the flight attendant came by I asked for a beer for him and a sparkling water for me. She went to run the card and after trying to swipe it four or five times, I offered to get another card. “No,” she said, “I think it’s my machine, enjoy your beer.” She handed my card back and he smiled and sipped it while working on a paper.
Our last flight was crowed and felt late to us coming from three time zones away. We were not sitting together due to purchasing the flights at different times. We were not far apart, each in aisle seats, me a couple rows back and kiddy corner to him across the aisle. Not long after we were settled a couple came to the row I was sitting in perplexed at where they were meant to be and holding up the line of people boarding. She was meant to be in C and he in E and there I was sitting in seat D. They both seemed upset to not be sitting together, and so I said “I am happy to switch you seats so that you two can sit together.” It seemed like an easy solution and they accepted. We switched, just as a flight attendant was coming down to see what the hold-up was. I got my backpack from the seat and resettled across the aisle.
Not long into the flight, a male flight attendant had come up behind me and asked quietly near my ear “Excuse me, do you drink?” I jumped, startled at the unexpected voice so intimately close. “Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I saw that you changed seats for that couple. I wanted to offer you a free drink, if you drink.” “Oh, yeah I do. Let me think on it for a minute” I said back to him, still a little startled. “Okay he said, just let me know.”
When he came back with the beverage cart and his counterpart serving drinks he made sure to serve my row. I asked for a vodka soda and it was lovely to catch a slight buzz at 30,000 feet. To be acknowledged for a small act of kindness and to be rewarded with a small bottle of booze. I didn’t do it for a reward or with any expectation, sometimes it is just nice to be nice and help people. We are all stressed and tired when traveling; strangers forced into tight, intimate space just trying to get where we are going. We are so quick to be irritated, that often we forget to be kind.
Shout out to three truly lovely flight attendants for their genuine hospitality and acknowledging honesty, sincerity, and kindness in the small ways that they are able. And let’s all remember how far a small act of kindness can go.
