One of the best business trips, courtesy of a volcano

Frequent Flier

One of the Best Business Trips, Courtesy of a Volcano

The New York Times

By Darell Hammond

November 21, 2011

I’VE always found it interesting how planes breed familiarity among strangers. I’m a pretty friendly guy, and I’ve always talked a lot. Years ago, I learned I was dyslexic, which, of course, explains how I used to have trouble in school. At best, I was an average student.

I’ve always had some trouble reading, and to compensate in college, I got really good at interviewing all my classmates. It was a way of coping and making sure I could find out different points of view about what we were studying.

Since I like to gather information by talking to people rather than just reading, I’m not one of those fliers who hate talking to seatmates. People are always interested in our work in helping communities build playgrounds, and it’s always great to hear people being so supportive. Most of my seatmates have fond memories of running around outside to play, and they wish more children today had the same opportunity.

Read the full article here.