Little Girl Teaches Man on a Plane a Lesson He Will Never Forget - Story of the Day

A man who hated flying learned a valuable life lesson from a little girl when their plane hit turbulence.

Flying can be really intimidating for some people. And if you’re someone who suffers from aerophobia, it just adds to the whole list of troubles.

Sadly, 30-year-old Jason Smith was a victim of aerophobia too. As a result, he tried to avoid planes as much as possible. But this time, he didn’t have a choice.

He had to be in Colorado for his daughter’s first birthday, and unless he overcame his fear of flying, he wouldn’t be able to make it on time. So Jason booked himself on a flight and began praying as soon as he tightened his seatbelt.

Initially, Jason wanted to opt for the aisle seat to avoid sitting near the window, but unfortunately, both middle and aisle seats were already booked. So, here he was, seated in the most uncomfortable place on the plane.

Every time he looked outside the window, he would think about the moment the flight would take off. What if there was a storm? What if the plane crashed? These kinds of thoughts would fill his mind, making his pulse skip a beat.

He tried a few times to think about his family to distract himself, but it was futile. His thoughts would only turn to how his family would react if something terrible happened on the way. So, he closed his eyes for a brief while and turned away from the window. Sadly, that didn’t work either.

He finally thought music might help and opened his eyes to reach the headphones. Suddenly, he saw the flight attendant walking towards him with a little girl clutching a teddy bear. The girl took the seat beside him.

“This is Alice,” the flight attendant said. “She’s flying with us for the first time and all on her own. She’s a brave girl.”

Alice gave Jason a big smile. “I’m not alone, ma'am,” she said, holding up her teddy bear, “Kookie is flying with me.”

The flight attendant gave her a sweet smile and clipped on her seatbelt. “Yes! Kookie is very lucky to have a brave friend like you. Now, Alice, if you need anything, just raise your hand. I’ll come over, OK?”

“Don’t worry,” Alice assured the flight attendant as she placed the teddy bear on her armrest. “I’ll be fine. My dad explained everything. But if Kookie needs something, I’ll let you know.”

The flight attendant laughed. “Okay, Alice. If you or Kookie need anything, just let me know. I’ll go now.”

When the flight attendant left, Jason tried to keep himself occupied by talking to the girl. “Hi, Alice,” he said, “My name is Jason. I have a daughter too, and she’s just like you.”

Alice looked at him in surprise. “You do? How old is she? Does she have a friend like Kookie?”

“Well, she’s just one year old now, but she isn’t lucky enough to have a smart friend like Kookie,” he replied.

Alice took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “That’s sad. I’ll introduce her to Kookie when I meet her.”

Jason burst out laughing. “I’m sure she’ll be pleased to meet him,” he said and then began looking for his headphones.

Alice turned to him again. “Hey, do you like flying?”

“Not really, Alice. But this time, I didn’t have a choice,” Jason said in a low voice.

“But why? It’s fun!” Alice exclaimed.

“Well, I am just scared of flights, Alice,” Jason replied.

Alice laughed. “You don’t need to be scared. You’re not alone. There are so many people on the flight, and Kookie is also there.”

At this point, Jason just wished for half the confidence the little girl had. Maybe, he should have had a Kookie, too. Maybe that could have comforted him a little, he thought to himself.

While Jason was lost in his thoughts, the plane taxied down the runway and took off. Alice exclaimed gleefully, “Yay! We’re finally flying!”

Jason gave her a disappointed look and closed his eyes.

“Wow! It’s going up! I think it’s 10,000 feet. Dad was right. Flying is so exciting!” Alice shouted from her seat. The passengers turned to look at her and couldn’t stop smiling at her cuteness.

Jason, on the other hand, was resenting every minute of the trip because he was seated next to an overly excited passenger whose comments just added to his unease. Finally, he opened his eyes because Alice was not ready to stop talking. “Hey, Alice. Do you like chocolates?” he asked her so that she stopped talking about heights.

“Yeah, they’re nice. But my mom says that if you eat a lot of them, you’ll get cavities.”

“Really? I didn’t know that!” Jason said, trying his best to focus the conversation on chocolates rather than flying and heights.

“Yeah, that’s true. My mom is never wrong. By the way, do they give chocolates on the flight?” Alice asked curiously.

“Well, maybe, but...” Before Jason could complete his sentence, Alice interrupted.

“Maybe not. After all, it’s thousands of feet above the ground,” she said. “By the way, do you know how the plane stays in the air? My dad says it’s the wind that flows over the wing, and then….”

And then the plane struck an air pocket, and Jason felt his stomach rise. Others on board yelled, and then there was another swooping bump, and then another.

“Oh, no, I hate turbulence!” Jason gasped. He clutched the armrests tightly and began sweating in fear.

Suddenly, a voice from the speakers attracted his attention: “Ladies and gentlemen, This is Captain Nick. We’ve encountered some turbulence, but there’s no need to worry. Please fasten your seatbelts and remain seated.”

“Turbulence? Don’t worry?” Jason mumbled. “I’ve been on smoother roller coasters.”

At this point, all Jason could think of was the prayers and the occasional shriek, but Alice sat calmly in the seat playing with her teddy.

Finally, after ten minutes, the ordeal was over! Calm returned to the cabin, and the flight attendants moved down the aisles, dispensing drinks and smiles. “Weren’t you scared?” Jason asked the child curiously.

Alice giggled. “Why would I be scared?”

“The turbulence … didn’t it affect you at all?” Jason looked at her in surprise.

“No, it didn't. My dad always says that God is there to protect us, and he’ll never let anything bad happen to us,” she told Jason with a big smile on her face.

Jason was touched by the girl’s faith in her father’s words, and it dawned on him that he, too, should have felt protected. After all, he was in God’s hands, and there’s no safer place to be.

What can we learn from this story?

• Faith triumphs over fear. Alice wasn't scared during the ride because she had faith in her father's words.
• God is always there with us. Jason's encounter with Alice is a polite reminder that we don't need to worry about anything as long as we are in God's hands.

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