by Imagae

Created on: January 20, 2007   Last Updated: April 30, 2007

Today I was talking with a friend about travel, in particular, airplanes. He asked me how I feel about sitting on a plane..leg room..comfort. I guess some of the major airlines are discussing the idea of charging more for "desirable" seating in coach, go figure.

I'm cool in most any seat, but I do however get annoyed when the person in front of me lowers their seat back far enough to have their head in my lap. Also can't stand the guy behind me who stretches his legs out far enough to kick me under my seat. I just think most people are really inconsiderate. That or I'm hyper-sensitive...or just American.

One Summer while accompanying my mom on a 50 minute fly from Detroit to Chicago a young, maybe 23 year old, non-American passenger was seated next to me. Apparently this young woman was tired, because to my amazement, as soon as we were air born she laid her head on my shoulder. I was shocked! I looked at my Mom like"Do you see this?" The woman spoke very broken English and every time the flight attendant would make an announcement over the intercom she would lift her head and say "Ti-cago?" I would shake my head no and say "not yet" Well when we finally got there she was sound asleep and I had to wake her up to let her know we were in "Ti-cago". It was actually pretty endearing and rather funny. My mom rolls over laughing to this day, if I bring it up.

Reflecting on this brings me to a trip I took to Europe in my early twenties.I noticed while there that European people seem much more comfortable with casual human contact. They don't at all seem obsessed with the idea of needing 'space'. Lots of hugs and kisses, buses packed to the brim in the middle of July and nobody seemed affected. Browsing a fruit stand in a little Italian town people were just kind of leaning in towards each other or only inches apart. I remember feeling strange and kind of paranoid like "damn would you move OVER a foot or so?"

So why is this? What is it that we have passed on generation to generation which tells us, American People, that we need so much ROOM? Is this the element that stops us from sharing our toys? Is this why so many of us are homeless and penniless while others horde their wealth? Could it be that simple?

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