Brief Encounters...
The time is 9.40am and I am flying to Munich.... Our breakfast - a yoghurt - and the drinks trolly has just been around... Having given me my glass of water and another of orange juice, the air steward was mid way through opening the bottle of red wine to pour me a glass, when I managed to stop him and say...
'No no, it's my name...' I had pointed to the label, which understandably he had taken as my request for a glass!
Holding the bottle mid air and mid 'unscrew' he looked puzzled... I pointed to the label again...
'Santa Julia'!
'That's my name ' I said... 'Ahhh' he smiled, putting the bottle back on the trolley 'Julia'...
And on he went to serve the rest of the plane...
What struck me was his complete lack of any surprise that I might want to drink red wine at 9.40am....
I liked this...
I recognise that this is his job and he has most likely served people red wine at all times of the day and night....
But it struck me how healing it is to have someone not project any opinion or judgement or their own thoughts onto my request, (which wasn't one!)
Of course we often create the confirmation of our own self judgement, by the way we might ask for something...
Had I wanted a glass of wine now, but felt it was 'too early ' and 'I really shouldn't' and 'what might he think of me...'
Instead of pointing at the bottle with no energy one way or the other (other than excitement at seeing a wine called Saint Julia!!)
I might have said all of the above in asking for the wine 'I know it's early and I shouldn't really but I'd love a glass of wine....' And then it creates a whole different dialogue....
'Live and let live'... So simple, so true and yet so seemingly difficult to do...
The first word is the key... 'Live' and in living it is important to know that who we are, is not who we think we are, or who anyone else might think we are... Thoughts of who we are are not who we are...
We are much more than all we might think or define ourselves as....
And in fully living from this limitless place of who we truly are, there is no self judgement or self hatred - there is only self love and self acceptance - and from which it becomes natural to 'let others live'.
I am now on the plane to Athens, suddenly instead of Bonjour and Guten Morgen, it is Yassas again.... I felt as if I were 'home', nearer to Anadi...
We landed at Munich and checking my connecting flight, I noticed that it looked to be boarding while we were still on the plane...
I checked with my nice air steward that the local time was the same as in France (it was), in a vague hope that I might have an extra hour somewhere (although on reflection Greece is another hour ahead of France and Munich, so that would have meant my plane would have been long gone!)
He assured me it was only boarding and there was plenty of time.... We climbed out of our (little) plane and onto a bus, which then took us on a very long journey (for airport bus journeys) to the terminal....
I had twelve minutes until my plane departed, and a rather long walk down the shiny corridor to gate 20....
As I approached with the minutes ticking away I had the first experience in my life of being called to my now closed gate over the tannoy...
These situations tend not to cause me stress... They have never really been life occurrences that cause any tension in me... It can be useful to notice when there is absence of tension - because if we can be relaxed and present then, we can be this way always as well as noticing when it arises - for instance when driving down a street that was not drivable down and very steep just ten days ago as we arrived in Metsovo - this did access some tension!
Clearing any tension makes for the peaceful life, and of course it was of no use feeling tense in the car at Metsovo! It's didn't aid my directions to Anadi to help him avoid going over the edge of a steep drop!
And today any tension would not have got me to the departure gate any faster, it might even have got me there later... When we are tense we are not present and therefore can miss important signs with an arrow pointing to 'transfers to connecting flights'!
For if I hadn't seen that sign, I might be writing this in Munich airport....
There was more of a test to come....
I had a very enjoyable flight to Athens chatting with Joe and his son Joe who were from Boston. They are on a ten day trip to celebrate Joe junior graduating from college where he had studied Finance and economics....
Brief encounters, but rich and real, a space of sharing and connection.
Due to the three flight nature of my trip, I have only been able to check in online for the first two legs of the journey....
So I needed a boarding pass for my final Athens to Corfu stretch ..
Once again, there was not a lot of time, I took awhile to find where to check in and then there was a long queue and with time tight I saw a 'swift check in machine', which I then had no idea how to work! I saw a guy sitting on the floor and went over to him...
'Do you speak English' he did, he was American. 'Please could you help me check in with this machine....'
We didn't manage it, but he was very kind and helpful, I now had fifteen minutes until my flight... 'Ask someone they will give you priority', he suggested...
'Thank you', I said, 'for being so helpful'.
'I wish I could have helped more' he replied....
Another brief encounter, a kind man, not one ounce of hesitation in his willingness to help me...
They did give me priority to get to the front of the queue, but at the check in desk, the woman working there had to make a phone call to ascertain whether I was too late to board ...
'There are some more late people' she said when she came off the phone, 'so if you are fast you might catch your flight....'
At the departure gate I was body checked, then my bags were checked...!
It felt a bit like an anxiety dream, except I wasn't anxious... I had fleetingly thought that if I missed the flight I would have time for a coffee and some food, I have no had no coffee today and very little food....!
I eventually arrived at the gate... Seconds after me two young women came tearing along the corridor to join me....
It was thanks to them being late too, that I made my flight with minutes to spare...
And as i write this, I am very near to landing in Corfu...
And in ten minutes I will be with my love....
