I never talk to strangers on the plane. After my dad died, a passenger helped me talk about my grief.

The author (not pictured) used to avoid talking to strangers in the plane.

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• I was traveling alone to see my mom after my dad had died.
• I sat next to a stranger who shared that they had also lost their dad.
• We shared our stories of grief, and I hadn't realized how much I needed someone to listen to me.

Airplanes are curious places where we are suspended between the sky and the earth. We board, settle in, and surrender to something larger than ourselves.