When our eyes met he smiled and I saw a very handsome elderly man lean past my husband to me and ask "Is that seat open?" I grinned gratefully and nodded in my reply "oh yes most defiantly!" He sat down next to me with his own big grin as he exclaimed "A window seat! How lucky am I in getting to sit here." I giggled and said back quietly "Well, I love sitting in the middle so it all works out." He chuckled "That's an odd seat to like on a plane but you fit in to it perfectly my dear." He was clean cut, dressed in a crisp causal way. He buckled in while shaking my hand politely at the very same time "It's really nice to meet you, My name is Ken." I realized in that instant, in that 6am hour while the dark gray sky not yet lighten by morning that we were going to be instant friends! While My husband sat back with his head set in and shook his head amused once again at how easily I can chat away with a perfectly good stranger. Yet I sat in awe over such delightful dialogue for the next hour and half with such sweet and happy man!
Ken was the name of this handsome 78 year old man, he sat close enough to me while we drank our black coffees together to talk the whole way but never be to loud to bother the rest of the sleeping plane. I am always nervous over the incline of taking off or landing but sitting next to Ken I relaxed from my own giggles as he shared "I'm having a GREAT time being 78 and in the dating world again because now I can date down 20 years and it's no big deal.....I promised my daughter never to date anyone in her age decade, How old are you?" He smirked while I choked from such delight with heavy giggling! Suddenly the plane was air born and I hadn't broke a sweat I was delighted over this man and distracted that I never saw the plane take off! I truly enjoyed everything this man was sitting next to me and I called him my "Kind Ken" for it was all meant to be...him and me sharing our lives stories! Ken explained how he loved being a bachelor having many girlfriends all over the world from his passion in traveling then one day he saw his future wife at a church social went directly home to write a dozen letters to these girls explaining he was now off the market. I drank in his love story of marrying happily ever after But then only 2 years ago his wife passed away....when he reached this part of his life I had tears rolling down silently beside him. I patted his arm and he rested his hand over mine gratefully then wiped his tearful eyes. "You would have liked her, she was a sweet lady, the most beautiful woman I had EVER seen." I nodded and swallowed strongly replying back "Well, I DO like her!" I smiled big back at him and Ken chuckled. "So why are you heading to Florida?" he asked as I shrugged thoughtfully "We have never been there before, my husband wanted to go somewhere we've never been."
He explained as i asked him where was he flying out to "Well, I'm on my way to my brother's for a visit, he had me come visit shortly after my wife's death which was like rescuing me, being around him made me realize how life goes on and even though I will NEVER love a woman like I did my wife....In that 6 weeks with my brother on our road trip back to Boise I never cried for my wife and I kept thinking just how Life is good! Life is really, really good especially when you can get out and LIVE IN IT." I stared in awe at his words for they are exactly what I am always saying......
I believe in loving your family, in loving your spouse, but I also believe how connected to others we always are! Even after such pain as in a final goodbye can be, there is still work for the soul, the person left living to do. I believe in this greater picture through such partings of deep sorrow comes a bigger strength to the help, to love of all the other connections out there! It's much the same way when we loose a pet, for there is another animal waiting on our love, our time at that very same moment we have to say goodbye. Ken commented back at me as I happily visited to what I realized by the end of the flight was a true kindred spirit "My dog died during the same time as my wife and I have never cried so hard for a pet before......I thought it was very odd." He looked thoughtfully out his window as I nodded knowingly explaining "It was more for what the dog represented, a time in history where everything was a certain way with him in it everyday. You realized with his death everything ends as it was. I believe animals carry us through our lives in and out of these stages. The truth is with dogs it never actually ends, they love us always and are ready to meet us no matter where we are in life! There is always going to be another dog waiting to be loved like that." I smiled to myself thinking how that can even apply to some people just as Ken said "I think of my dating life like that even right now too, I mean I'm really having fun! I enjoy life and then all these ladies are out living their spouses! I am so amazed by the variety I have to choose from....." He chuckled again then finished with "We never get to old for companionship! It makes life one great big adventure!" I nodded happily realizing I want to be JUST like this man when I am 78 years old!
To my dear Kind Ken we will never come to the end with such good friends and happiness shared!
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