Some stories I have seem like they are tall tales, but they are all true stories, real events that have happened in my life. Even though it seems like something out of The Brothers Grim or Gulliver’s travels, they are really out of Renee Nolte’s World! I have so many happenings, incidents, epic journeys of my life stories to share and I can’t wait to let you all in on them!

This here story will be about one journey that started out on the wrong foot, or, should I say thigh?…

Air traveling, Chapter 1

I woke up at 4:30 am, I am not a morning person so you know. I wish I would be able to wake up like Mark Wahlberg and kill it on the daily, but I also like vacation mode! It’s not that I wake up grumpy like a bear as in “not a morning person” but instead I’m just internally pissed off because I had to wake up and do something early. But when my alarm goes off I just wake up, do it and move on. Internally pissed but externally with a smile until it consumes my inside. That’s my “not a morning person” definition.

Anyway, this morning I lifted my eyeballs open, got ready, and my lovely daughter drove me to my terminal.

Now, I’ve been in the terminal this morning since 5:27am, it’s currently after 11am. I’ve been on stand by twice to get home to my husband and the bump and grind of work and daily living. I came to visit my daughter, her husband and 2 of my grandchildren for a short trip, gotta see those grands when I can!

I’m in route currently from Indianapolis to Austin, to College Station. I was suppose to hit Chicago to change planes since I didn’t have a direct flight but now they have re-routed me to Dallas just for me to bolt off the jet and barely make it to my next leg only to put me at #17 standby…. anyway, what do ya know, I made it! I like coming into Dallas better anyway, Shy town has just gotten so pricey lately. None the less by the time I get home I could have traveled internationally…I just need to be able to hit the ground running when I do arrive.

Days like this I almost regret not driving myself but then I remember I am also not a road trip person (if I have to drive solo) the long hot roads makes me sleepy. I’m not a lazy person, not at all, don’t get me wrong, I’m not always sleeping. I’m actually always working and I don’t shut down unless I’m sleeping, even then I’m a super light sleeper and constant thinker, so I need my sleep when I can get it!

I’d rather sleep on a plane, and arrive sooner. Even though I’m surrounded by distractions I’ve learned to tune out all the passengers when I need to get my zzz’s.

This crazy morning I literally met 2 thousand Travelers at the security checkpoint and missed my flight due to excessive long lines and slow TSA workers. Or maybe it’s just slow TSA policy, either way it took forever.

The scene was surreal, it was like TSA had an antidote for a zombie plague and we were all waiting to get the shot, get clearance and go, except TSA were sloth Zombies). Did I mention what time I woke up, come on, I need to sleep on the plane! But compared to some of my other air travels this was by far a better one. I’ve had more than my fair shares of inglorious air travel and your about read about the worst one…

I think the most awkward, wait…that’s not the word. Bizarre, no…that’s not the word either. UNBELIEVABLE, that’s it! The most unbelievable thing happened to me on a flight one time. Yep, it seems like it really only happens to me (because it’s so bizarre) and why am I the lucky one? But it’s true, I was blessed with unbelievable experiences, and this one here takes the cake!

Prelude …

I flew to Jacksonville, Florida with my sister Stephanie on a business trip. This was about 15 years ago. A time before I or my sister thought about capturing this incident on a mobile device. It may have helped with some future awareness, or company training! But just when you think and feel everything is great, this will be the start of what is going to be a wonderful day, something of a bump in the road gets in the way to change your mood!

I was sitting in the first row of a Southwest Airline Airbus, book in hand. I was ready to get cozy, and read for 3 hours and get to another level of understanding of the GenoType Diet by Peter D’Adamo (I love his work).

My sister just introduced herself to the man sitting in the aisle seat, she was seated in the middle and me by the cabin door side. It’s not often I get front row Joe…and only twice First Class (more chapters to come about that in a later blog). It was your typical meet the companion brief and seemed like a normal ready to go kind of travel day. I was only interested in sitting back, relaxing, reading, finally so,e quite self time. My sister starts nudging me with her elbow, telling me the seated passenger to her right is single and he’s cute (note: at the time I was single and she was looking out for me, thank you sister.) But, I whispered to her out of the corner of my right lip “I’m not interested” she nudged me again, so I shook his hand, gave a slight smile, said hello and politely sunk back into the corner of my seat, stretched my legs to get cozy and began reading. The flight attendant was busy hustling and bustling about prepping the cabin for take off when the next thing I know…

I can’t speak…

I can’t move…

I’m trapped…

I can’t breathe…

I was in SO MUCH PAIN that I was having an out of body experience!!

I noticed my sister was engaging in a conversation with the gentleman on her right, they were chatting back and forth while my eyes were filling up with tears, not sad ones though, they were body shock pain tears of torture and nobody knew…no airline agent anywhere near me, my sister looking the other way, I couldn’t take it, I was about to pass out, my mind fading. I heard my brain scream out loud but the vocal chords weren’t connecting. I forced my brain to convince my arm muscles to lift my right arm and sling it on my sister, my arm with all its might finally after several attempts to get it to move plopped onto her lap and my head crashed on her shoulder. That didn’t do anything to gain her undivided attention, she probably thought I just done went to sleep!

I needed to get her attention, I needed HELP! I convinced my brain once more to take drastic action since my vocal chords weren’t engaged. I knew my head was rested on her, all I had as leverage were my teeth! Barely able to open my mouth I bite her shoulder. It was just enough though that my strength did allow as It probably felt more like a slow motion trigger massage or a kitten with no teeth numbing on you! She nudged her hand towards me, under her breathe laughing, thinking I was playing and joking around. I was in a level of pain that took over my entire body and she had no idea! The pain was colossal. A few minutes had already passed by since they closed the cabin door. I knew this because

THEY CLOSED THE CABIN DOOR ON ME!! It was my quadricep, my leg, they had some how slammed that cabin door shut and got my left thigh caught in it!

What, how?

The tight space in that front row, my leg pressed against the door, the agents not paying attention, me not seeing the possibility of that even happening, it happened! My body got slammed inside the door. It slid shut and door latched, my muscle was on the inner side between the outside of the plane and the inside of the plane. I was finally able to wale out loud in pure agony!!! AGUHHHHHHHGGGH! (In a weepy way)

My sister STILL thought I was clowning around. Guess that’s my fault as I have always been a joker, but this time, I wasn’t fool’n around. I began to hit her, survival mode was making itself manifest even though it did again probably feel like like a cat paw, a declawed cat paw, but it was all the strength I could muster. She finally looked at all of me and realized part of me was inside an airplane freak’n door! She yelled out at the attendant “You slammed my sisters leg in the door!”

Retrieval

By now I physically felt all the blood flow away from my left leg, pain rushing through my body until a numbness took over part of it. The lady rushes to open the cabin door, says something like “Oh my goodness” under her breathe, the door releases my leg, I collapse over and onto my sister and begin sobbing into her shoulder and back. I couldn’t communicate any other way. I was a cry baby, the pain took over my emotions and I cried for a good long while. She patted me and tried to comfort me as I literally felt all the blood flow return to each nook and cranny of my left leg.

The man sitting next to her tried to verbally console me and I didn’t even know anyone existed but my pain and my sister. I needed some TLC recovery and I guess Southwest Airlines gives you tuff love care Because the attendant didn’t even offer to make it right. I’m not even sure she told anyone, it was like a hit and run, she was probably ashamed and embarrassed but they could have at least given me some wings, chicken wings, or some extra peanuts!

Needless to say I didn’t find a cozy spot, I wasn’t able to sleep, I was simply in recovery! It took about the entire duration of the flight to regain normal feeling and release of pain from my leg.

I’ve had some bad flights, but this one by far was the worst!

I have to hand it to martial arts training though, I know because of it I was able to heal myself, doesn’t make it right and they probably ought to have comped my flight right? But self healing is a real thing. Plus I’ll take standby any day over getting a leg or a part of a leg caught in a cabin door!

The rest of today

I made it home, just around 2pm. I was able to work from speaker phone in my car coming home from Austin, then taught my martial arts classes until 9pm, picked up dinner for my husband and I, told him of my adventures, brain stormed about new ideas, watched a movie, then went to bed, all in a days world, Renee Nolte’s World!

Hope you enjoyed my story, bet you’ll remember it next flight your on, if it’s SW airlines just ask in advance for extra snacks! Here’s to your next travel adventure, don’t break a leg or get it caught by an airbus! Do your best to be aware in all moments even if your about to relax. Safe and Happy Travels my friends!