Boy ao sy we oy Fireworks from Above nat Telways wanted as alte girl was to tell stories on the stage, because Twanted to be connected to something big ger than myself, and I wanted to be connected to other people, ‘And I believe that a really good performer takes a group of = individuals and, through a ahared emotional experience, tarns icinto a collective, For as long 1s I can remember, I've wanted todo this. ‘Tve wanted to be a performer. slash STEWARDESS! T grew up in my mamas beavty shop in 'Texss.Iewas this old ‘A-frame house with big mirrors and swivel chairs in the front room and shainpoo bowls in what had been the back bed- ‘My mama had this long line of hood dryers on one wall, and ‘would wait until all the ladies were held captive under the dry- ers and give mandatory concer's. That was my very first stage. “When I wasnt telling stories and doing shows for the ladies, would play stewardess, and I would push this litle manicure cart around the beauty shop.THE MOTH [with thick Southern drawl) “Miss Helen, Miss Melba, would yall ike a magezine? Would y'all like « cocktail?” ‘And the ladies would say, “Baby, you just give great cus- tomer service.” was all about cuscomer service. ‘And sometimes Pa st on the porch playing with my Barbie's Friend Ship airplane, and I would wear this long, silk searf vied oon the side (and it’s bot in Texas in the summer). But T loved playing stewardess. ‘Well, about ten years ago, T was living in New York City working as a performer, telling stories and singing songs on the stage. Bad pay, no job security, no benefits. I really needed 2 job. ‘And I very randomly met this lovely girl with a long, silk scarf tied on the side, who said nine words that changed my life forever: She said, “Have you ever thought about being 2 fight atten dant?” Thad! ‘Three weeks late, I was in Miami training, Training was so citing, Ie was a brand-new airline. They had seven airplanes, a handful of destinations, and a lot of great buze. They had buzz around the fact that there was live TV at every seat. And they had blue potato chips and designer uniforms. But most of the buzz ‘was around the fact that they had amazing customer service. Perfect! I was al. about customer service back at the beauty shop. ‘And when the founder and CEO of the airline came into cour training class and gave this amazing, uplifting speech, 1 knew Iwas in the right place. He said, “Every one of you is here for a season, and that reason is your ability to smile and be kind, We can teach you how to evacuate an airplane. We can teach you how to handle a Fireworks from Avove 337 ‘medical emergency. We can teich you how to serve, But we cannot teach you to smile and be kind, Your mother did that Please thank her for me.” So beautiful, He said he saw this not as an airline, not as a corporation, but as a humanitarian experiment. He said his goal vwas to bring humanity back to air travel. I was right on board swith this vision. Lwas so caughtup in it. And when I graduated, they made me president of my cass, and they even gave me this special certificate called the Spi-it Award T couldn't wait to get out there on the line—to surprise people with kindness and, in the process of moving people from Point A to Point B, really, actually move people. ‘And then I graduated. And then J started the job. Maybe you see where this is going, ‘Thad this epiphany almost right away: This job is hard, and people are horrible. Really horrible, First of all, the job was physically exhausting. In the begin- ning was on reserve, which meant that I was on call and bad to be within two hans of Kennedy Airport at all times. So Twas cither running to get to the airport or waiting for the phone call to ran to get to the airport, constantly on edge. ‘And then the actual commute to the airport was extremely hard. Uhad to take the subway tothe bus to the shuttle to the ter- tinal. Even before I got on the plane, I was exhausted. And then when T did geton the plane, the-e was a whole world of hurt ‘My feet hurt. There’s this thing that happens where you get, bruises on the bottom of your feet from turbulence, and it was horrible. And new flight attendants are sick a lot, because its kind of like being a kindergarten teacher—you're exposed to a fot of germs. At one point I had pinkeye in both eyes, a sinus infection, a double ear infection, and strep throat all at thebees i couldn’ see, I couldn't hear, I couldn't talk. And it " iy because I was taking garbage from everyone ll nd saying “thank you” for it : Thanks ‘Thank you for your garbage. Thank you” ne scenally made us stop calling it trash. We had to call it cei ems?” berzose some of the realy biter gins would sy fo yout ') trash,” “Mivam... your whole family’s trash” ie —— why they were jaded, because I was kind of sting » T just couldn't believe how horrible people Tes really hard to be m mean when someone is smiling and bandiog Youa cup of coffee and a cookie, but p. - ns te cause a lot of times : ju scene, 7 sion te on ' see you—they just see a uniform, is hard. Ie’ stressful, and peopl ried re nee ‘vied really hard to keep that vision and to smile and be Lig even in the face of meanness, ce a Thit bottom one day when I had a passeiger who hed a ib teed fight. He was lying in the aisle, and we had his shirt and had the pads of the defibrillator on him, 1 was holding an oxygen bottle, ‘And this woman in th i 1 row sitting next to m ‘on my blouse: “Excuse me. Excuse me!” ea Iwas like, Just a minute, please, guy's life” i She kept tuggi ugging and tay JUST A MINUTE” na And then I thougat: ougt: Wait a minute, Ma vc, oF maybe she knoe something aah dea So said, “What is ito” And she held up her coffee cup and said, ‘And [learned that people can be cold. We're trying to save this and I said, “Just a minute! “This coffee is cold.” Fireworks from Above 339 “There's also something that happens to your psychology be- cause you see the world from abore when you fly a Jot. And Lsaw ‘lot of really horrible things froma the ai, like devastating Cali- fornia forest fires, New Orleans under water, and most upsetting forme, lower Manhattan smoldering for weeks and weeks. ‘And in late September of 2001, Twas working a ight, and a passenger came on with a garbage bag, which is kind ofa light attendant pet peeve, because, “Really, sir, a garbage bag? Four- teenth Street, $999. Geta roll-aboard.” You know? But you see that. Sometimes people just throw things in a garbage bag and bring it on. So he goes to row two, which is where he was seated, and he opened the overhead bin and put the garbage bag in. ‘And my next thought was: What's in that garbage bag? Be~ cause in late September of "01, we were all stil alittle edgy and paranoid, so I was kind of keeping my eye on him and the bag. ‘And he put it in the overhead bn and closed the bin and stood there with hie hand on ie, guarding it ‘Which is another flight attendant pet peeve. The overhead bins are shared space, okay? And if you hog up all the space, somebody's bag is gonna get checked, And by the way, if you're in row twelve, please don't leave your bag in row one. Jts noe nice. You're taking somebody's space. So my instinct was to go upto this man and say, “Sir, please sit down.” But I though: Fuse ler it go. Fust smile and be kind, and if we need the space, PI deal with it iter. So didn’t say anything, Talso didnt say anything waen he got up while the seat belt sign was on and came and stood, waiting for the bathroom. If the seat belt sign is on, it’s because the captain knows something we don't know, okay? And it might not feel bumpy, but he'sa probably heard from an ainplane further out that there's torbu- Ience ahead. I have @ friend who broke his ankle on the ceiling con a smooth flight. So shat’s another fight attendant pet peeve “Hie stood there, waiting for the bathroom, and J said, “Sir, the seat belt sign is on” ee said, “I know, know, but I really need to go.” ‘And again I thought: Ler it go. Just let it go. Twas sitting on the jamp seat, and it was kinda awkward because he was just standing there, and I felt like T should say something, ‘Go I said, “Are you traveling for business or pleasure?” ‘And he said, “Neither. I live in California, but I came to New York because ry son was a first responder at Ground Zero, and he died there. I eame to pick up his uniform, which is fll have of him, andit’s in a bog in the overhead bin.” "And I remembered why I was there, and why I was hired and why I wanted that job. Because I remembered that every body has a story, and I don't kriow what chat story is. People fy for a reason, Maybe they're going to a funeral or to see some ‘one who's sick, or maybe i's something joyful, like « wedding. don’e know what thei story is, but for that little piece of time, Tim a part oft, and [have an impact on their experience. ‘And what J love about performing is taking @ group of ‘viduals and, through a shared emotional experience, curning it jnto a collective. Bat my job as a flight attendant is to take & collective and to ture it back into a group of individuals. Flight attendants talk about “crowds” sometimes, like, Avoid the Fort Lauderdale crowd. They're horrible,” or “Avoid the Long Beach crowd.” But every erowd is a group of individuals, and every indi- ‘vidual has a story. And yeah, I saw a ot of horrible things from indi- Fireworks from Above 391 the air. But P've also seen a lot of amazing, beautifel things from piel ie the Grand Canyon, the Northern Lights, fireworks ‘And now when I go through the cabin with my garbage bag, saying “thank you" and smiling, I mean it, because Pm making a gratitude list in my head. And every time I say, “thank you,” think of something Tim grateful for: “Thank you” (for my job). “Thank you" (or these comfy shoes). “Thank you” (for my life). Because my job enables me to bbe part of something bigger than me, and to be connected to other people, ike this. So thank you. Paye Lane isa writerand pecformer whose unigue blending o! sory and song moved New Yok Magasin to uth “She hed ‘ten gobbling from the palm of hee hand. They were howling, crying filling in love with her? Her exteally acclaimed solo show, Faye Lane Baty Sop Sri chroncle of her childhood in a Teas auty salon, was born on the Moth stage and was the recipient spun Ofte sale eae pease wes aa tional Fringe Festival, the 2011 Bisto Award for Best Musical Com- ely, and the 2011 MAC Award for Outstanding Special Production. ‘The show has an ongoing residency at the legendary SoHo Play- house in New York and has touched audiences across the country and around the world, Winner of The Moth StorySLAM in both New York and Los Angeles, Faye isa frequent contributor to The ‘Math Ratio Hour ané Mainstage. In addition to touring with her slow Faye ses toying te ao corpore ret ‘onal presentations and writing and performing Wo ot Se eet cole a eenrenee eu