In January of 2023, as I sat in the airport waiting for my flight to San Antonio, I thought about all the times I had changed the direction of my life. It may have been cheaper to fly a competing airline, but I wanted to start over - again - on the one that brought me to The Golden State. I've been extremely lucky in life. I have called lots of places home. Yet, I never imagined I would give that moniker to The Lone Star State. The name isn't appealing. Who wants to be the lone star? All those years ago, I made a new family in San Francisco and then I added to it in Los Angeles. Along the way, I picked up some great friends in New York - and for the most part, that's an adventure that needs a few chapters of its own. And now, I'm on a journey that has been, at times, overwhelming yet always exciting. It is still unbelieveable, and above all, still as much a puzzle as it was when a simple hello in Palm Springs changed everything.
The Friendly Skies and Me
Lots of things in life you can't plan for - I of all people can tell you that for sure. When I decided to leave Boston and start a life in California, I chose United Airlines to take me across the country. Now, this isn't a piece praising the company above any others, it's just that when I thought about it, I realized that the airline was the one that brought me to every new chapter of my life. When I moved back to Boston; returned to San Francisco and tried my luck in New York, I flew them because I somehow felt it was fitting that the airline who was with me at the beginning, should bring me to every additional new chapter. Keep in mind that when I first came to California - pre 9/11 - flying was a whole different experience. There was no TSA, anyone could walk you to or meet you at the gate, and craziest of all - no smoking on planes had just recently been implemented. Most surprising, was that one way flights were three times as expensive as round trips. On my first move to San Francisco, I booked a return on a random date towards the end of the year. When the date came to miss the flight (without any penalty) - I thought briefly on how far I'd come in such a short time. I had made it. I was here to stay. Or so I thought.
As much as I hate flying, I know it's the only way to get anywhere. Thinking about being in a metal tube flying at over 500 mph does not sit well with me, so it's best not to think about where you are at the moment. At least now, I can text my friends to keep my thoughts occupied. Every time I returned home to Boston, I felt somehow connected to book United. When they introduced more non stops from SFO to BOS over Mothers' Day in the mid '90s -I think it was for $300, I came back to surprise my mom. Every trip was an adventure. From the very flamboyant flight attendant who gave me champagne when I flew United to Italy for my four week European adventure, to the one who moved me up to business class (I'm sure I was too naive then to think why), they were all fun rides.
Of course, over the years, I did book trips on other airlines, but somehow, when I transplanted my life, I always felt I should book the airline that first started my journey. So, when it was time to move to Texas, I once again, booked the airline that started this whole incredible journey.
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