There is no way to get around it. 17 inches is about the width of an average seat on a commercial airline. I think my laptop is 17 inches wide...
Ultimately your seat is in a row of two or three for a flight less than 3 hours.
Part of you is touching the person next to you at some point, more often is you are an average adult, or full time if you are larger like me.
When I fly I am usually alone. Whoever sits next to me I always say Howdy, when they sit down next to me. Most reply to me. I do not say anything else unless they say more. I get it if you do not want to talk to me.
What ever happened to common courtesy?
So I flew back from my weekend convention. I got the window seat of a two seat row.
I am not Marilyn Monroe, but at one time I did have a great figure like her. Most will at least say hello back to me.
Yesterday I said hello but there was no response.
The whole time our thighs were touching. This man looked like he was over 6 feet tall. He had a large brief case in his lap so I assumed he was a businessman. He did not have a suit on so it was casual as most fly very casual these days.
So I crammed myself against the window and had to move every 10 minutes because I had not taken any pain pills in 12 hours and it was getting to be a 7 on the 1 to 10 scale of pain.
My brain kept thinking what ever happened to caring and compassion with common decency in Common courtesy???
I will champion you
I am the type of person who would champion anyone who shared a small space with me for an hour or more where there was no option to move especially when the seat-belt sign is on the whole flight like it was for us this flight.
I would hold your hand if you were ill or sad or, heaven forbid, had a stroke or became seriously ill during a flight.
That is just who I am.
No matter if you are green, polka dot, from Mars or what ever religion you are or not.
I care about people.
I get it after we say Hello if you want your space and no talking. I am fine with that.
There were three in our travel group this weekend.
One was to left of me me across the aisle. The other was behind me.
I could hear him behind me as his "seat mate" asked if it was OK for her to pet his guide dog. He said: not at this time as he is "working." They passed pleasantries and at the end she asked if there was anything she could help him with deplaning. He thanked her and told her that the steward would assist him. They parted and the three of us in our group were assisted into wheelchairs with our adaptive equipment until we got with our rides to our homes. The airlines always treat us with dignity and courtesy.
To my "seatmate":
You will never know how funny and passionate I am. You will never have my compassion to validate you.
You have lost out because you did not say Hello.
I will never know much about you because you had your reasons not to even say Hello to me.
A smile and a Hello for people who travel and are crammed into a 17 inch seat for the greedy airlines, bus, train or whatever mode of transportation in this world is really a nice way for all of us to at least put up with the stress of travel day and other life's demise.
For us who are multi-disabled just a Hello can really make a difference on our sometimes very painful lives. Whether we have a mental or physically malady.
Everyone has issues, some of us more than others.
So next time you fly/travel and your body is touching someone else's on a "crammed in like sardines flight", just say Hello. Please!
It takes only a moment and can make a pleasant ride for everyone for many hours. <3
End of Rant.
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