It Is All About Perspective: A Hilarious Mix-up with Seat Belts at 30,000 Feet

Once upon a time, when travel’s worries were about the queue at the check-in or whether the person beside me on the plane was introduced to deodorant, I found myself on a business trip to Chicago.?

I was seated on the aisle side, not the most pleasant spot for someone who preferred the window seat, but that was a minor concern at the moment.?

Little did I know, this journey was about to take an unexpected turn.

As luck would have it, I was seated beside a gentleman who, to put it mildly and stay within the politically correct realm of things, was taking up a third of my seat.? As we waited for the plane to take off, the gentleman was peacefully napping, his head comfortably resting on the headrest.?

A few minutes before takeoff, the pilot announced the need to fasten our seat belts…and that's where the tale unfolds.

To my unpleasant surprise, a part of my seat belt seemed to have disappeared into the unreachable abyss, courtesy of my slumbering seatmate. Not wanting to disturb his peaceful nap and armed with my entrepreneurial spirit (read: knack for spectacularly bold decisions), I decided to take matters into my own hands—because, clearly, what could possibly go wrong?

I then embarked on a mission and discreetly began feeling around, hoping to locate the elusive seat belt without waking the sleeping giant. In my quest, I stumbled upon what I believed to be the metallic tip of the seat belt. Triumphantly, I pulled, only to meet resistance. Undeterred, I pulled harder, and this time only to my horror!

This story takes place a decade ago when cell phones were clipped to the side of someone's hips. Yes, you guessed it right. I inadvertently pulled the gentleman’s cell phone from its clip!

As I stared at the cell phone in my hand, contemplating how to explain this mishap, the gentleman decided it was time to wake up. Panic set in. Say something. Explain. Yet, nothing came out. So, armed with nothing but my smile, I handed him the phone, simply saying: "Sir, your cell phone."

Luckily, he smiled back and took his phone.

“Um, you’re sitting on my seat belt,” I said.

There you go, that was easy—much easier than my so-called problem-solving initiative. I could have spared myself the embarrassment by addressing the seat belt situation minutes earlier.?

And that, my friends, is how I learned the art of seat belt diplomacy.

When I recall this episode on the plane that occurred more than a decade ago, I can't help but think that the gentleman must certainly tell the story quite differently because... when all is said and done, it's all about perspective.

“Did I tell you about the day I woke up just in time on a flight back home….”