Payal Maheshwari’s Post

I was on a transatlantic flight last week and my mini-section of the plane – had no power for 8 hours. Meaning: no screen, no movies, no watching the plane map. No charging of your phone / computer during the flight. Just...us. After a bit of collective grumbling (I was in the middle seat between a couple, one who preferred the aisle and one the window, and at no point offered to move, go-figure), something unsurprising happened: people started talking. To each other. To the flight attendants. To others who had power. There was laughter, connection, and actual conversation. I read half a book I’d been carrying for months. I journaled. I listened. The woman next to me had four kids and six grandkids, and they recently bought their dream summer home so the whole family could come together. She gave me excellent parenting book recommendations. Behind me, someone returning from her mother’s funeral shared reflections on reinventing her life. In front of me, a man wrestling with parents who had wildly different political views than him. A reminder that disconnection is the thing that reconnects us, and while SO HARD, unplugging is a gift. Hanging in Split, Croatia!