On the Plane with Sonia

On my flight from Milwaukee to Los Angeles for this extremely quick weekend, I met Sonia.  Knowing that I would be running from the minute I got off of the plane, I figured I was going to just rest and have a moment of shut eye on my flight.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised to not have the opportunity.  Sonia is from Southern California and while she loves living in Southern California, she has become ill over what the California state government has done for the state.  Like many, she is becoming fed up due to the lack of integrity and responsibility that the government has had with their constituents and just basic knowledge between what is right and what is wrong.

            This irritation has inspired Sonia to diligently research our true American history and see if that information can help her while she makes future decisions in her life, carries on conversations with others and I’m guessing maybe in her voting routine.  Sonia really inspired me because she is taking her part in our democracy into her own hands.  She isn’t letting one strain of media influence her and she isn’t taking the first thing she hears as fact.  Sonia is a great example of how we all need to be a part of the decisions that are being made because we voted our representatives in, are affected by the changes made and even more simply, are residents in this country.  

            This conversation led us to discussing today’s youth and whether they contain the common sense as well as the ability to tell the difference between right and wrong. The way that Sonia feels she contributes to this group of young adults is through her job.  She works as a District Manager for a large department store chain and gets to take recently graduated college students and help them in the skills that will make them successful at their jobs.  Fortunately these skills such as interpersonal, leadership and communication skills are essential in a successfully running society.  If they happened to miss that part of their education in college, Sonia is certain to pass on those tools to them once working for her.  That, Sonia told me, is her favorite part of her job.

            I love flying and this is the reason why.  I was seated next to someone that I may have never talked to, with some opinions that maybe aren’t similar to me, and we found the common ground and the enjoyment of life.  I not only got to learn about her political views and her career, but I was able to learn about her daughter who she is so blessed to have, and her husband who she met after life moments of high pressure that helped her to be ready when they met. 

            Sonia, thank you for an amazing plane ride.  It was such a pleasure meeting you and I look forward to hearing from you again in the future.  And thank you for educating me on the true ride of Paul Revere.  Do you all know that Wentworth Cheswell was the African American that was just as influential in the mid-night ride as Paul Revere? Cheswell rode north as Paul Revere rode west, where the British eventually went, causing Cheswell to be unknown for his accomplishments in the midnight ride.