I recently took a trip out to California to visit with my family. It just so worked out that the best/cheapest flights were early in the morning. Problem is, I am not a morning person.
On my return flight, I had to get up around 5:30 and was just exhausted by the time I boarded. I hadn’t had any coffee yet because my plan was to sleep on the plane. But my plans changed when I ended up sitting next to a very interesting character. Probably the most interesting person I have met so far on my wild adventures via public transportation. She began with, “I brought my service dog on the plane. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, not at all.” I said trying to be polite. She piped up again, “She’s a chihuahua.”
“Ah, good deal. What’s her name?” My eyelids started to droop, and I felt terrible that I must have look disengaged, I just wanted to sleep! Problem is, I am too polite. I didn’t want to be abrupt or rude. She continued talking and mentioned Swami’s and Cardiff so I continued the conversation. “I was up there yesterday for a walk. The waves were huge!”
But… how do you respond to the following statement:
“You know the government controls the weather. My dad used to work for NASA and the government hides all sorts of secrets from the public.”
That was only the beginning… Somehow by the end of the flight I learned all about the Annunaki and the 12th planet. From what I understood, the Annunaki are alien deities from Mesopotamia that are somehow connected with chapters in the bible. Specifically she kept mentioning Noah’s arc. I guess humans were brought to Earth by the Annunaki to mine gold (or something like that).
“Here, let me give you some websites to check out.” I gave her a piece of paper and pen and she described each site as she wrote them down. She kept repeating over and over, “I can’t believe I’m telling you all of this, but there must be some reason I sat next to someone so nice.”
In a previous article I posted, I mentioned that I am a shy person and I typically rely on a couple conversation starters when using the bus. To add on to that piece here are a couple of tips when engaging in a conversation about aliens.
Even though I had no idea what the woman beside me was talking about I made a point of asking lots of conversations. It kept the conversation going and made it less awkward. She seemed very passionate about the subject and who am I to judge.
It is so important to smile when making conversation with a stranger. Most of the trip home I spent smiling and nodding. If you ever find yourself talking about an alien race, a smile goes a long way.
Be sure to introduce yourself and be kind with who you are speaking with. Before I got off the plane I shook her hand and introduced myself. “It was a pleasure talking to you,” I said.
When I did know what she was talking about, like the beach or her dog, I brought up anything and everything I could say. It helped to steer the conversation away from aliens for a bit.
One thing that really did seem like “fate” was that one of the things she mentioned in her 2 hour and 21 minute conversation was that her daughter trained service dogs for people who needed them, “like someone with epilepsy,” she said. I kid you not, that was the first condition she brought up! “The dogs help someone who is having a seizure by pulling them up and alerting someone close by.” She also gave me the name of her daughter’s business, Karma Dog Training.
What are the odds I sit next to someone where one of the first thing she mentions is epilepsy?
The truth is out there…