The Kindness of a Stranger Made My Weekend
I have a friend who has been considering moving to the Treasure Valley and recently asked me what we're all about. This weekend, my son and I experienced "Boise kindness" again.
We were grabbing breakfast at a favorite place, The Tower Grill in Nampa (located at the airport and offering a great view of planes landing, taking off, and on the ground), and since my kiddo and I are both plane geeks, we were discussing our observations as we waited for our food.
The man sitting near us at the counter asked casually, "do you guys fly?" We answered "no," and shared that we are just plane geeks who enjoy seeing what's happening at the airport and learning more about flight.
We asked if he flew, and he said yes, that he owned a plane, and would soon be heading up for a flight. My son asked some questions, I asked some questions, and we had a really awesome conversation.
Then, he made my kiddo's entire weekend when he asked if we would like to come down to the hanger and see his plane.
That was an easy "yes," and after breakfast, he went out of his way to to bring us to his hanger, show us around his plane, and give my son the chance to get up close and personal.
It was an amazingly kind thing to do, and he allowed my son to sit in the cockpit, and even help with the pre-flight checklist.
"Captain Bob" as we now call him gave us nearly an hour of his time, and an incredible experience for both of us. My kiddo felt like a "real pilot," and that experience will stay with him forever. I know Bob didn't have to give us that time, that experience, and it meant a ton to me that he did that.
I've been told now that my son would like flight lessons for his birthday. I don't think that's going to change between now and then (August), and this experience was another example of what people in the Treasure Valley are all about.
Kindness, connection, and constantly surprising me.