i like meeting people in airplanes
I really enjoy the conversation in a plane. There's something magical that happens when 2 or 3 people are stripped of their context and can interact as humans in a box.
In the plane, there's room to step away from the bustle of everyday life, room to reflect on where you've been and where you're heading.
Today, on a 3.5 hour flight, I got the chance to meet a Brazilian psychedelic jazz musician, who introduced me to his corner of the world. He told he admires Vinyl Williams and yearns of seeing him perform.
A few times, the musician performed a day before or after Vinyl Williams in the same city, but they have yet to completely intersect. It makes me appreciate even more that our lives happened to overlap in this plane in this time, with our seats next to each other.
When I'm at home, I feel it is easy for me to get absorbed into my bubble of friends and coworkers. I try to get exposed to more diverse perspectives, but when I meet people on the plane it truly stretches my conception of the world.
About 4 years ago, on a flight to Boston, I happened to sit next to a script writer (both theater and tv shows) and we had a lovely conversation about her upcoming play educating people on bees as well as the latest advances in neuroscience. It made me realize what's possible in terms of conversations. Up until that point, I somehow felt that few other people are into science and theater, but here was a random person on the plane that loves them too! This gave me perspective on my relationship, which was sinking but "there's few other people that I can nerd out about science with" was my thought. I ended up breaking up a week after reflecting on that experience.
I wonder where the conversation from today will land me. I feel already a renewed interest in music and especially a sort of "permission" to experiment with sound. Before, I somehow felt that I had to stick with acoustic instruments since it was easier to get started and that's what I saw around me. But here is a musician that experiments with sounds and sees where new music can lead him! I adore that approach.