Sweatshirt, Travel, and Pandemic

Hello, Internet world! Warm Sunshine Blog is back after a very long hiatus. For those of you who are new to our blog, welcome!

Today I am wearing a sweatshirt with “BOSTON” written in big, red letters, just above a big, red lobster (or “lobstah,” if you will!). I am not from Boston and only visited that lovely town once, almost 25 years ago, but I did pass through the airport to attend my niece’s baby shower a little over a year ago. It was summer, but it was an exceptionally chilly day, and I only had summer clothes with me. When I got to the airport to return home, it was totally freezing inside – they still had the air conditioning on full blast. So I did what any half-frozen tourist would do… I went into the gift store and bought myself this snazzy sweatshirt. There was a fun guy and his son nearby doing the same thing, and we joked around a bit, providing some laughs and good spirits to get us through our chilly wait for our flights. To me, pleasant exchanges with strangers are the best part of traveling! We said goodbye and wished each other a safe flight.

Finally it was time to board. As always, no matter how quickly I try to get my seating assignment, I always end up close to the back of the line in the last boarding group! As I was squeezing my way down the aisle looking for an empty seat, a man looked up at me with a big smile and said, “Hey, nice sweatshirt!” I wasn’t really paying attention because I was trying to find a seat, so I simply smiled at him and chirped, “Why, thank you!” He got a big grin on his face and replied, “It had better be nice, I helped you pick it out!” Yes, it was my new-found friend with his son – and his excellent sense of humor! I felt myself feeling (and probably looking ) a little sheepish for not recognizing the man I had just talked with about 45 minutes before, but I was delighted that he had reached out, and we had a good laugh together – again! This guy really made my day!

It’s those kinds of exchanges that I think I miss the most during this pandemic. Of course, I miss my family and friends, but at least I can talk to them on Zoom or FaceTime or the phone. But there’s just something special about those unexpected, pleasant surprises and connections that we make when we travel that make life a little richer. I’m looking forward to the day when we can do that again!