Travelling With Linda

I never met Linda before - we were merely sitting in the same aisle row seats on the flight from Atlanta to Harrisburg, PA. My daughter was sitting in the window seat next to me, and my husband was sitting behind me. Linda watched us as we twisted and turned to talk to each other, and offered to switch seats so we could talk a little easier. I made a joke - something like, "What, talk to him? No way!", and she gave me the strangest frown. I was a little put-off by that - come on, it was a joke - but I shrugged it off and pulled out my travel project - Lion Brand Yarn's Mobius tube scarf. A nice, easy piece for travelling with a 2-year old.


I knit about 3 rows when Linda softened. "I didn't know you could get needles past the TSA," she said, then told me about the crochet project she reluctantly left behind. She told me how she spent the night in a crowded airport in Panama City without her luggage due to a flight cancellation. She told me how she was going to see her grandchildren after a long absence. She told me about the cancer that 2 close members of her family were enduring. And all the while I knit, consoled, empathized, and listened, as best as possible in the noisy puddle jumper we were riding.

I realized that Linda's initial frown at my attempt at a joke had nothing to do with me at all. It had everything to do with the conditions she found herself in during the last 24 hours. And I realized first-hand how knitting can truly bring people together, and if just for a little while, make our journey a bit more pleasant.

All my best to you and your family, Linda.