Am I Really Invisible?

So, I have a story to tell. Not particularly profound or exciting, but noteworthy nonetheless

To my indignation, on a recent flight home, I was apparently invisible. By that I mean that for all intents and purposes I was essentially a “ghost.” How so? Well, as I approached my aisle seat, I could see that the middle seat was occupied by a woman who was completely engrossed in her laptop screen. As I settled in, she did not look up or acknowledge in any way that I was present. It was as if my seat was unoccupied, and in my opinion that broke the unspoken passenger civility code. By that I mean it is generally accepted that you at least look up, nod and/or smile. Conversation is always optional.

My initial reaction was indifference. I have certainly experienced similar situations before and I don’t particularly care to engage in long conversations with strangers, that inevitably “run out of steam” and are ultimately, just awkward. If she wasn’t interested in conversation that was fine by me.

But when a good looking man approached, indicating he was in the window seat, everything and I do mean everything, changed. The middle seat woman lit up like a firecracker. The man was barely seated and she started peppering him with the standard airplane questions. Are you going home or visiting? Where are you from? Yada, yada, yada….And soon ,they were completely engrossed in conversation. (The best part is that I could hear everything🫩)

Now, as I have indicated, normally this wouldn’t have bothered me one teeny tiny bit, but I was offended and after some reflection, I had to ask myself why. I mean come on. Get a grip. This was just a 3 hour snapshot of my life. Ultimately, I decided I was the victim of the ” Invisible Senior Woman Syndrome.” I recognize that the word victim might be overkill, however, I doubt that this woman after 3 hours as my seatmate, could have related any details whatsoever regarding my appearance. Hmmph!

I am embarrassed to admit that the memory of this experience lingered far too long. Once I sorted my thoughts, however, I came to the conclusion that the woman was either rude or just very self absorbed. But still, if she could spend the whole flight (and I do mean the whole flight) speaking with a complete stranger, why couldn’t she at least acknowledge me? Was I in fact invisible?

Well, it turns out one can only obsess for so long, so I decided to change my interpretation of the incident. I may be a senior woman but I am healthy, I am mobile, I can afford to travel, and why should I spend any time focusing on one woman’s rudeness? (Side note: If I have ever been rude in a similar manner, I make a blanket apology to any former seatmates, and I vow to routinely nod and/or smile at every airplane seatmate in the future.)

Although, I suspect there are many other Senior women who have suffered a similar fate, the good news is that after a few sleepless nights (just kidding!) I have finally moved on and I feel much better now. Writing about it has been cathartic, and thank goodness my life is back on track!

Thanks for listening.☺️