Adventures in flying #8734: Eating cookies with someone's Grandma.

I spent almost 4 hours on a flight to Atlanta yesterday next to the most interesting person I've ever met on an airplane.

Patricia is a sweet lady about 75; Her silver hair was pulled back in a bun and she kept her passport and boarding passes in a big lanyard around her neck, like a backstage pass.  She somehow made corduroy pants seem elegant, even with her compression stockings, which I never would have noticed, had she not informed me that she is "usually much more put together". She's compact, taking up about half of her seat, but she has a huge heart and the sense of humor of a 30 year old.  She also happens to be the real life Dos Equis lady.
She smiled and greeted me when I sat down and we chatted for the hour our flight was delayed on the runway (I barely noticed), plus 2.5 hours in the air. 

She told me about: her time in the Peace Corps, traveling in Africa, how cool Kabul was in the 60's, getting detained by militia in Senegal, smuggling prescription drugs out of Mexico, the 2nd grader she and her husband sponsored in the Philippines to keep from dropping out of school, who became the high schooler and then the college student they sponsored (he's now an MD), and a bunch of other things that are going to stick in my memory banks for a while.

About half way through our conversation she produced a molasses cookie (my favorite since childhood) from her bag and broke off half for me. I declined (trying to kick that sugar habit!) and she reminded me that molasses cookies are the most healthy of all cookies, and that molasses used to be administered as medicine. No arguing with that.

After about 3 hours of dazzling me with amazing stories from exotic locales, she switched gears and asked me: "Rob, have you ever eaten at a place called The Olive Garden?" 
That's exactly the way she asked it; like there was only one of them, in Tuscany, and she didn't want to be presumptuous. The "OG" is a new experience for her, but she's really into their soups. I mean, how can you not be?
I told her that I was more than familiar, and then I regaled her with tales of: The Times Square Olive Garden that is so big it needs an escalator, how their Zuppa Toscana is the king of all soups, and all about that time my friend Danny hooked my friend and me up with free apps, wine and dessert before he was fired (presumably for giving out free apps, wine, and desserts).

The moral of the story: Converse with elderly people. They are wise, kind, and often have sweets.

Also, here's my favorite Olive Garden related image of all time.