The strangest things can now trigger my wanderlust spirit.
Most recently it was Post-Its. With two kids learning at home and two parents running two different companies at home, we’ve been going through Post-Its faster than toilet paper, and I needed a new stash. A big stash. I found one—a pack with 15 separate colors all fluorescent and beautiful. Then I looked closer at the packaging. They called it the Miami Collection + Rio De Janeiro Collection. Seeing the names of two places that would require air travel to visit brought a wave of unexpected longing.
As someone who used to have two suitcases packed at all times and greeted TSA agents with familiarity, the ongoing travel restrictions have been especially hard. More than anything, I miss the chance encounters that last only a flight or a stay and yet are remembered forever. Like the time I set an accidental, life-changing goal from the window seat. Or the time I was reminded of just how far I’d come while waiting to board.
Accidental Goal-Setting at 30,000 Feet
It was 2017 and I was on a flight from New York City back home to Arizona where we lived at the time. I was sitting next to a gentleman who had a very fancy title at a very large bank and who was full of wonderful insight and advice. At one point in the conversation, I remember saying wistfully, “I feel like I could live in New York City.” Ever since my very first trip to the city, I always had a hard time leaving. There was just something about it: the energy, the people, the chaos… I couldn’t get enough of it.
“Well…,” my seatmate started to say. He was older, experienced and practical. He outlined how much rent would be for a family of four. “And in order to afford that rent, you need to make at least three times that monthly.”
I’m pretty sure he thought he was discouraging me, the way any responsible, experienced adult might. What he didn’t notice, once we both retreated to staring at the seat in front of us, was that on the corner of a random piece of paper in my bag, I started doing the math and considering how I might ramp up my business.
My family has now called New York City home for nearly three years.
Upgraded Self-Belief
I was in the boarding area for a flight once and saw the upgrade list on the screen. At the top of the list was me! HAL, K.
Yay! I walked up to the counter and asked the gate agent if first class had checked-in full, trying to get a sense for whether I might get moved up. She looked at her computer and said it was highly unlikely and then added: “If there is an upgrade available, it would go to Mr. Hall. He is first on the list.”
I looked at her. “I am Mr. Hall.” “Oh!” The gate agent squirmed a little, realizing her mistake. She then assured me she’d let me know if a seat became available. I wasn’t always proud of my airline status because to achieve it meant being away from my family, and pre-COVID, I would often find myself missing them. But in that moment, I was proud to be a kick-butt woman, traveling the country, and changing perceptions of who can top the upgrade list. Diamond on Delta, Executive Platinum on American: Mrs. Hall.
I don’t know the next time I’ll walk through security or stand in line to board, but I do know I simply can’t wait for the lessons I’ll learn once I’m back in the air.
This article originally appeared in the May/June 2021 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
Photo courtesy of Kindra Hall
