did I sign up for this?
- Virginia Hankins
- Jan 31, 2018
- 3 min read
A little over six months on the job and you learn that this job isn't just a job, but this massive lifestyle change that effects every aspect of your life. Spilling into your everyday and every way of being.
Therefore, I put a little list together of moments that I knew I had become a flight attendant.
You know you are a real live flight attendant when:
When your head is in the clouds 90% of the time...literally.
When you are grateful at the opportunity to use a real live toilet and even more excited about running water.
When normal 16 ounce water bottles are now considered miniature compared to your, now, usual liter and a half jug that you carry around.
When you carry extra nylons in your purse in a zippy.
When your typical breakfast is at 3 or 4am, lunchtime is between 9am and 4pm (if you have time to scarf it down) and dinner is a lucky shooting star in the sky if you can squeeze it in before a) 10pm b) before you fall asleep.
When you get excited when the captain says 'looks like we're expecting some pretty rough turbulence, be best if you both stay seated'. This sentence means a a coffee break and a few chapters of your current read under your belt.
When a passenger separated their garbage from their cup and hands it to you and you're truly touched that a human being could be so kind.
When you know the fine line between being furious that you got a delay that threw off and extended your entire day and being overjoyed that it was a big enough delay that the rest of your legs got cancelled for the day.
When you're doing your demo and feel oddly nervous because someone is actually watching your every move when every other flight they ignore you.
When everything you need is miniature or fits in a 3 ounce bottle.
When cities are no longer cities but airport codes running through your head.
When someone asks you to go to England, Amsterdam, Cabo or New York for a day and you say 'ya, I think I can fit that in'
When there is no natural way your adult self can muster up how to offer warm nuts.
When you have really great and lofty goals for when you get into San Francisco (or anywhere really), but then there's your bed...and, well...need I say more?
When you understand the feeling of the last landing at the end of your trip and you get to your gate and deplane and your captain says 'crew scheduling called...' *heart sinking, palms sweating, day over*
When you try to explain your schedule to friends and family and they just kinda nod and say 'interesting'.
When your purse has everything you need for a medical emergency, fire or sickness to all the tools and products in the world you need to be ready for an impromptu date...and a variety of snacks for everything in between.
When you start the day looking like Cinderella but when you get off your last flight you look like the ugly step sisters after the ball.
When you have enough coffee that eventually how long you've been awake is irrelevant.
When no matter how many times you say and show where the bathroom is, you will get a bajillion questions about its location during the day. Every. Stinkin. Day.
What are some of the moments that you knew?
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