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The Q&A Files
The Flight That Changed Everything: When Strangers Become Heroes
Have you ever witnessed an act of kindness so profound it changed the entire atmosphere? Those moments when someone steps forward while everyone else steps back?
Today's story takes us from a simple pharmacy encounter to a harrowing flight in 1991 where I found myself living every parent's travel nightmare. Picture this: two small children, a car seat disaster mid-boarding, and a plane full of judging eyes. Just when I thought I'd crumble under the weight of it all, something extraordinary happened – a stranger stood up and shifted everything.
This isn't just about airplane etiquette or parenting struggles. It's about those pivotal moments when kindness doesn't wait for an invitation but shows up precisely when someone is unraveling. The kind man who carried my baby during boarding. The courageous passenger who called out the judgment of others. These weren't random acts – they were deliberate choices to see beyond themselves.
What strikes me most, even decades later, is how the man who helped was already caring for a quadriplegic seatmate. He wasn't someone with abundant free time or resources – he simply made space in his heart for one more person in need. His words, "What is wrong with you people?" weren't just directed at my fellow passengers; they echo as a challenge to all of us. Will we be the crowd that watches, or the one who stands?
As you move through your week, I challenge you to look for opportunities to be that shift. Who around you might be carrying more than they're showing? The mom in your neighborhood? The teenager behind the counter? Your friend who always says they're "fine" but might not be? Kindness doesn't require grand gestures – sometimes it's as simple as saying "You're doing a good job" or "Can I help?" These moments of interrupting kindness don't just heal others; they heal something in us too.
Send this episode to someone who needs to hear it, leave a review, and most importantly, live it. Keep letting your kindness move the atmosphere. The world doesn't need more spectators – it needs more people willing to stand.
Contact me directly if you have questions or comments at trishajamisoncoaching@gmail.com.
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The flight I will never forget. I was every passenger's nightmare. A few days ago I was standing in line at the pharmacy just kind of watching life swirl around me, and there was this mother in line, a couple of people in front of me, who was clearly overwhelmed and she had a squirmy little toddler in one arm and she was trying to balance a diaper bag on the other shoulder and trying to get to her wallet and pay for her prescription. And I know so many moms can relate to this especially and I'm sure dads can as well and then her little girl began to really fuss and her patience was slipping. She was unraveling, she was trying to pay for her prescription and she just really I could just feel she was having a really rough day. And then a stranger behind her gently said you're doing a good job, mama, is there anything I can help you with? And I just thought, oh my gosh, he just saved the day. And she paused, she looked at him and I think she got a little emotional and blinked and then she gave this very small grateful nod that she was okay. But just knowing someone cared and acknowledged that she was doing a good job I'm certain made all the difference for her in the whole world. And you know why? Because she felt seen, that's all it took. It just took a moment of kindness in the chaos. It just took a moment of kindness in the chaos and I got to watch it unfold. But what was so wild was how it instantly transported me to a very vivid memory of my own.
Speaker 1:Hello and welcome to the Q&A File, the ultimate health and wellness playground. I'm your host, tricia Jamieson, a board-certified functional nutritionist and lifestyle practitioner, ready to lead you through a world of health discoveries. Here we dive into a tapestry of disease prevention, to nutrition, exercise, mental health and building strong relationships, all spiced with diverse perspectives. It's not just a podcast, it's a celebration of health, packed with insights and a twist of fun. Welcome aboard the Q&A files, where your questions ignite our vibrant discussions and lead to a brighter you. Today's episode is all about the kindness that interrupts the room, the kind that doesn't wait for an invitation, the kind that shows up in someone's hardest moments, the kind that says I see you and guess what? You're not alone, so let me take you back.
Speaker 1:It was in 1991, and I was boarding a flight back to Spokane from Des Moines, iowa, with our two little girls. Now, des Moines is where Jeff was attending medical school and he was in the thick of preparing for his medical board exams. So I was taking the girls home for a month to give him some space and peace, some quiet to study. And we had our two girls, like I mentioned, chelsea, our oldest, was two and a half, and Alyssa, her baby sister, was just six months old. Now, jeff had walked me all the way through the terminal to our gate and at that time you were able to do that. You could walk your loved ones to the gate, walk your loved ones to the gate. He gave me a hug, goodbye, and each of the girls a sweet kiss before leaving me and did I feel instantly alone and immediately thought what in the world am I doing?
Speaker 1:As I watched him walk away, I had Chelsea, our oldest daughter, buckled into her car seat, which was perched precariously on top of a lightweight umbrella stroller. And yes, she was actually buckled into it, because back then children had to fly in their car seats, if you can believe that. And I was physically holding down her car seat with my right hand to keep it from flipping forward and launching her face first into the ground. So over that same shoulder was a diaper bag packed so full it could have passed for a mini moving van, strapped to me and in my other arm I held Alyssa, wiggly and tired, and slowly sliding down my hip like a sack of potatoes with each step, and let me tell you, I absolutely felt like a walking circus act. So about after 10 minutes of waiting to board, which really felt like hours waiting to board which really felt like hours, every inch of me was absolutely screaming for relief my back, my arms, even the tips of my fingers, from gripping the car seat so hard, you know, because my life depended on it, which it clearly did.
Speaker 1:Then, every few seconds, I tried to do a quick mom bounce to adjust Alyssa back into place. Well, a kind older gentleman behind me obviously had been watching me and he gently came to me and said Would you like me to carry her next to you or behind you Until you get to your seat? I'm on your same flight Now. Obviously, under any other circumstance I would never, ever, hand my little baby girl over to a complete stranger. But I had some extreme circumstances and there was something steady and kind about him and I knew he was never going to be out of my sight, and so I was desperate and I said, yes, please. So he reached out for Alyssa and thankfully she went right to him without a single whimper and it was just like she settled into his arms, like he was a long lost grandpa. So I excelled for the very first time in what really felt like hours.
Speaker 1:A few minutes later we began boarding and I was so relieved that they let families with young children aboard first. In fact, I think I was the very first passenger to even step onto the plane. So I'm sure there were hundreds there had to have been hundreds of people lined up behind me, and I'm sure that was not an exaggeration. But you know, it definitely felt like hundreds of people. And I began inching my way down the narrow aisle, trying to steer the stroller while still holding the car seat down with one hand. Now my fingers were aching so badly I could hardly even feel them. It was awkward, it was clunky, but I just kept breathing because I knew with each step I was getting closer and closer to my seat. And then it happened my diaper bag swung off my shoulder and the stroller wheels caught on the carpeted floor. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Should we just pause for a few minutes to just take a quick bathroom break? Because even now, 30 years later, this part still absolutely stresses me out. Okay, so let's just take a deep breath together and let me continue. I hope you can imagine all of this Again. We're starting with the strap of my diaper bag snagged on the corner of an armrest, jerking me sideways and yanking my hand off of the car seat with great force.
Speaker 1:Ah so in one horrifying, painfully slow moment it was like watching a terrible movie in slow motion Chelsea flipped forward, still strapped in her car seat, and landed face first onto the hard floor of the plane with a very loud thud. She shrieked in pain. Everything stopped my heart, my breath, the line behind me. I absolutely froze. Now, this wasn't a sweet little toddler whimper? No, wasn't a sweet little toddler whimper? No, chelsea, what we lovingly called a full-body siren cry. When she was hurt which she clearly was she wailed at a pitch that could probably shatter glass. But there she was, lying face down in the airplane aisle, her body still buckled into the car seat, her cries echoing through the fuselage, and I was only a few rows in, but it felt like I was miles away.
Speaker 1:People behind me were stacking up. I could feel their impatience, I could feel the pressure building, but all I could see was my baby girl on the floor screaming hysterically. The aisle was too narrow, there was no way to turn around the stroller and there was no space to backtrack. I had all these people behind me waiting, and then the kind man holding Alyssa behind me was still standing there, waiting, unsure how to help, with my infant daughter squirming in his arms. I didn't know what to do, but I did the only thing I could think of, and that was to climb over the seats. No grace, no elegance, just full-on desperate mama mode.
Speaker 1:I scrambled my way to her, I unbuckled the straps with my hands shaking, and I pulled her into my lap in the middle of the aisle, with everybody watching. She was wailing, red-faced, hurt, frightened, and I was absolutely mortified and I felt like the worst mom on the planet. Have you ever had those terrible feelings before? It was one of those moments you don't forget, not because it was dramatic, but because your body remembers exactly what it felt like to be trapped, to feel helpless and completely feel undone in public, somehow, somehow. I don't even know how. I truly don't know how I managed to get everything the rest of the way down the aisle the stroller, the car seat, the diaper bag, my screaming toddler, all of the emotional damage, all of it and I collapsed into my seat, now, holding one hysterical child, and the very nice man who had been holding Alyssa quickly handed her off to me so he could then find his own seat. And of course, she started to fuss because, guess what? She was hungry and she was ready to nurse.
Speaker 1:And that's when the judging started. I could feel it permeate through me. I could feel the deep glares, the whispers, the silent protests. I was trying to hold it all together, but all I was doing is starting to unravel. And let me tell you, I was unraveling quickly. And then came the cherry on top A stewardess walked by and barked you need to get her back into her car seat right now. Oh, great idea, I wanted to say. Let me just add that to my to-do list, while I try not to cry in public. Thank you very much.
Speaker 1:So Chelsea, meanwhile, was curled up on the floor like a tiny protester staging a sit-in. She was no way going to get back into that car seat, and Alyssa was getting louder by the minute. My arms were shaking and I could feel the tears starting to rise. And then there's this teenage boy sitting right next to me who looked like he was silently questioning every life choice that had brought him to this moment. And you know what? I'm pretty sure becoming a monk had just moved to the top of his list.
Speaker 1:Oh, I tried everything. I tried snacks, I tried stuffed animals, full-on negotiations, but nothing worked to get Chelsea back into her seat. And then I felt the hot tears starting to spill down my cheeks. I felt the shame. I felt the weight of all of it pressing in on me. I was doing everything I could, but somehow it still wasn't enough. So I did what so many of us do. In those hidden but very humbling moments, I whispered a very quiet prayer for strength and maybe, just maybe, if God was in a really good mood, he would even grant me a miracle. Well, guess what? He was in a great mood because after my prayer he did send a miracle.
Speaker 1:A man sitting directly in front of me, someone I hadn't even noticed, stood up and said in a very loud, clear voice what is wrong with you people? Loud, clear voice. What is wrong with you people. This mother is clearly doing her very best and all you can do is sit here whispering and glaring at her. She needs help, not your judgment. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Well, I tell you what.
Speaker 1:He absolutely had the attention of the entire back section of the airplane because everyone went silent and every head immediately turned and looked forward. He turned to me and said in a very gentle voice Would you like me to hold your baby so you can help your little girl get back into her seat? I was absolutely stunned. In fact, no voice came out, I just nodded, and he gently reached for Alyssa and put her into his arms and said Loud enough for everyone around us to hear I am so sorry. You have to experience people who can't see when a young mother needs help and that's when I saw it he was seated next to a quadriplegic, someone he was clearly already caring for, he was already supporting someone else, and yet he saw me too. He made space for a young mother me who was quite literally at the end of her rope. You know, I don't know his name, I don't remember his name, I don't even remember his face, but I will never forget his voice. I will never forget his courage and his kindness and the way he stood up for me Not just for me, but what was right. And I swear, if it hadn't been for him, I still might be sitting on that plane with two screaming children and a traumatized teenager who, in that moment, I am certain, decided to become a monk.
Speaker 1:You know, I have thought about that flight so many times over the years, not because of how hard it was though it was absolutely so hard and it left some very traumatizing emotions within me but because of the way those two men shifted the entire energy of that day. They didn't take away the challenge, they didn't fix the flight or make the chaos disappear. They simply stepped in with kindness to help. And you know what? That changed everything for me. And because of him, because of both of those kind men, I can just survive that flight.
Speaker 1:I remembered what it felt like to be seen, to be rescued and to be reminded that kindness absolutely still lives in this world. And that wasn't just kindness, that was courage. You know, he didn't just see my struggle, he interrupted, he changed the energy of that moment and he didn't wait for someone else to speak up or to step in, because here's the truth If we all wait for someone else to help, guess what? We become the crowd. And you know what? The crowd never saves the day. It's always the one, the one who sees, the one who stops, the one who listens, the one who chooses compassion over convenience. That's the kind of kindness I want to invite us into today.
Speaker 1:You know, we talk a lot about strength, pushing through our emotions, staying resilient, but sometimes the greatest strength is in the hand that reaches out. It's the voice that speaks up, the heart that says guess what? You're not alone. You don't need to fix someone's life. Maybe just soften one moment. Kindness doesn't have to be loud to be powerful, it just has to be real. And years from now, someone might still be telling a story about the day you showed up.
Speaker 1:So before we wrap up today, I want to leave you with a simple challenge and a question to carry into your week. Who around you might be carrying more than they're showing? Is it the mom in your neighborhood, the teenager behind the counter, the friend who always says, oh, I'm fine, but maybe she's really not? Be that shift. Find that one moment, big or small, to bring unexpected kindness. Say the thing Offer the help, interrupt that tension with tenderness and watch how you feel afterward, because kindness doesn't just heal others, it heals you too. So again, whether you're on a crowded plane, in a pharmacy line or just walking past someone who looks a little worn out, be that shift, be the grace, be the one who stands up. We don't need more people watching, we need more people willing to stand. I'm so grateful you joined me today. If this story moved you and I hope it did I hope you will send it to a friend, I hope you will post about it or leave us a review and, more importantly, I hope you will live it. But keep showing up and keep loving people and keep letting your kindness move the atmosphere, and I will see you on the next Q&A Files. Goodbye everybody.
Speaker 1:Thanks for tuning in to the Q&A Files, delighted to share today's gems of wisdom with you. Your questions light up our show, fueling the engaging dialogues that make our community extra special. Keep sending your questions to trishajamesoncoaching at gmailcom. Your curiosity is our compass. Please hit subscribe, spread the word and let's grow the circle of insight and community together. I'm Trisha Jameson, signing off. Stay curious, keep thriving and keep smiling, and I'll catch you on the next episode.
