McCarran International Airport Las Vegas Allegiant Airlines


It’s almost dawn in Las Vegas
. I’m staring out the window at the bright lights of the casinos, unable to sleep. Yesterday at this time I was at the airport in San Francisco, running between gates to catch a ride back up to Seattle. The day before that, I was riding the subway in Seoul, South Korea.

My body doesn’t know where in the world it is, but my heart is tuned to something more important: all the wonderful people in my life who life halfway around the globe and who I long to see.

It’s hard. It really is. Sometimes, at work, you remember some old inside joke between yourself and an old friend and you crack a smile. But no one understands the joke, and you long to pick up the phone and call someone who truly understands you.

 

Laughing Kara
You wouldn’t understand. It’s a BFF thing.


But there are timezones. International date lines. Barriers.

One of my best friends from college lives in South Korea. Another lives in Japan. Other friends live in Brooklyn, Denver and Portland. My flight attendant friends live in California, New York and Salt Lake City. My family lives in the Midwest and my boyfriend lives on an island north of Seattle.

And as for me, I don’t feel as though I really live anywhere at all.

So what do I do?

I decide that home is where the heart is, and my heart is with my loved ones. So, I chase the pieces of my heart all over the world, hoping to somehow balance life and work and my jetlagged existence.

381303_10150367837760771_1255712832_n
Long lost friends together on the NYC subway. Photo credit @kik.ami


It sometimes seems like an impossible balancing act
. Hopping from Salt Lake City to Seattle to Honolulu to Seoul to Jeju Island back to San Francisco and Seattle — all in just over a week. And all for the chance to hug people that I love … before jetting off again.

Relationships of all varieties are hard for flight attendants, and this job will make or break the bonds in your life.

But don’t give up. Make time for the people in your life, no matter where they live.

If that means jumpseating to Seoul to sing karaoke with your brother, jetting off to Florence for a lunch date or just staying at home to have dinner with your adopted grandparents — follow your heart and embrace your loved ones. I guarantee you won’t regret it.

11209387_10100145205903430_3649609933979448693_n
Best friends for ten years. Who cares if there’s a silly old ocean between us.


It’s okay if everyone you love is scattered around the country — and the world.
You’ll make a way to make time for them.

Follow @theeverydayjumpseater on Instagram, Facebook or the TheEverydayJumpseater.com for more advice on travel, life and how to jumpseat around the world!

About the Author

Hello, I’m K. J. Watts, but my friends call me Kara. I fell into the sky and have worked as International cabin crew, on private jets as a corporate flight attendant, and earned an FAA Private Pilot Certificate. Over a decade ago, I started this blog, which developed into a love for writing and a debut memoir based on Flight Attendant Life. A California native, I now live in Sydney, Australia, where I enjoy spending time with my husband, writing, and surfing.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}