On an irrational whim, I decided to spend a night dancing salsa in Mumbai and catch a 5am flight back home. At the end of a four-day trip with too little sleep, my body was struggling to keep up. The irrationality of my decision was predicated on a recently acquired enthusiasm to live a less structured, more random life. Four days. Two cities. No plan. Sleepless nights. Unexpected illness.
Seat 14F, seat 14F, seat 14F... half asleep, fake smiles at the airplane hosts, staggered past passengers caught up in their ritual of blocking aisles while fishing for something unimportant in their bag. (It's just an hour, leave your bags alone).
A man who wasn't me occupied seat 14F. I did the polite thing and instead of pointing out his mistake, sat in the seat next to him. He smiled and asked in a thick American accent if the Courtyard Marriott was anywhere close to Osmania University. We started chatting about mundane things: why I had an accent, shock at my English-speaking ability, even more shock at my preference for Sydney over Melbourne...
I finally asked the question most Americans love answering. What do you do?
"I'm into sport and development."
Fake look of interest on my face as I wait for him to expound further on his life's purpose.
"I work with the American football league in India."
"The EFLI," I asked, "Do you have anything to do with the Hyderabad Skykings?"
My new friend had a look which was either pleasant surprise that a random Indian knew about the EFLI, or shock that a random Indian knew about the EFLI.
He introduced himself as the CEO of the American football league in India. I'd watched one of the game live, got invited to train with the team and try my throwing arm at their practice sessions. And I'd heard about this man through my fitness trainer who also coaches the Hyderabad Skykings (the local football team).
My friend talked about his friendship with Larry Fitzgerald and Mark Wahlberg (who initially invested in the EFLI, to promote American football in India). "I spent the day with Garth Brooks in his studio and had lunch at his house," my friend added.
Great! I tend not to be impressed. A few hours earlier, the VP of HSBC bank for Asia went out of his way to drop me in a cab to the airport. I didn't even know what he did for a living. Still, these random encounters with people who are living interesting lives excites me. Just as much as the random conversations with the front desk staff at the hotel during my stay in Mumbai. Or, the little kid with a shy smile, hiding behind her mom's saree on an elevator.
Maybe I have a face which invites conversations. Perhaps my fascination to hear people's stories is obvious. Curiosity for stories leads me to ask more questions.
Finally, my irrational decision to not be caught up in an organized whirl of travel opened up doors to hear incredible stories. Sometimes, being open to the unexpected can enlarge your worldview in surprising and pleasant ways.