Off to France First Class!

As I write this, the plane is backing out of the runway of Newark International Airport. I am sitting in the first class section sipping a glass of pineapple juice. I am flying Air India to Paris, where I will meet my friend Guillaume before I trickle down to Spain.

My antics in the airport led to a serendipitous start to my adventure. Arriving at the baggage check-in a mere 35 minutes before my plane’s scheduled departure I jokingly asked the Latina baggage attendant in Spanish if she was from India (As an aside, you may be wondering why the hell I am flying Air India in the first place when my destination is Paris. Economics, my friends, pure economics – a one way ticket to Paris was only $193.50 + tax.) As we complete our conversation about our nationalities, maximum allowed baggage weight, and the length of the flight, she hands me a boarding pass printed in Hindi and English. Glancing at it as I walk away, I note that it says “Executive Class.” Score one for the Spanish and the smile :-). Getting the chance to sit first class is something my broke ass has never done before!

As I hurriedly make my way through security I notice there is a currency exchange. Remembering that I had intended to spend all my U.S. currency by the time I arrived at the airport, I reached into my pocket to see if there was anything I’d forgotten. A bunch of credit cards, Blockbuster membership card, a piece of lint, and $2.52. Alright, that’s something. At least enough to cash in I think to myself. I offer the attendant my money, he returns a one euro coin and $1.32. I don’t want to be walking around with U.S money in my pocket and so I give it back to the agent and tell him to buy something nice for the wife and kids :-).  A friendly girl named Jackie thinks this is funny and we laugh about it together, making friends.

I hop on the plane and am greeted with a hot moist towel, a free newspaper and toiletry kit, and a shitload of leg room. Also before takeoff I make a new friend named Rafi who is a management consultant in Bombay and New York and we talk about the joys and pitfalls of work, relationships, and travel.

So anyhow, moral of this story is… keep the positive vibe up as I travel and hike about. Be light, don’t take it too seriously, don’t think so much, enjoy myself, laugh at the insanity of life. Even if it feels like utter shite sometimes. What goes out will all come back in.

With just $193.50 and my mind and heart in the right space, I might even get a first class ticket and make some new friends this way.

No reason to spend my energy trapped in fear when there is so much to laugh about.

Seriously. 

See you in France.