In the words of Mister Rogers, look for the helpers. As we navigate the millions of TikTok clips and Instagram Reels, we may notice our algorithm sticks us with complainers. For some, it’s a neighbor they don’t care for or an argument they had on a plane. So when one woman shared her story on Threads, it was a nice reminder that true compassion can pop up when we least expect it.
Amanda Hamilton (@razamham) shares stories from her life. On her Threads bio, she writes, “Kindness over correctness, people before property.” So it’s not completely off-brand that she’d relay the story she did. Even still, it has resonated with thousands of people.
Worst seat on the plane
It was a typical hectic flying day, she shares in a six-part Threads post, claiming “she got the worst seat on the plane.” At least, so she thought. She writes, “”Literally in the last row by the bathroom, middle seat, no window, can’t even see out of other people’s windows. It’s a short but packed flight, so I’m resigned to being cramped and cranky.”
She’s still cranky when another woman arrives and, seemingly, she’s not having a great day either. “I’ve just sat down when my seat mate arrives, so I let her in so she can get in the corner seat, which again has no window. She’s muttering something under her breath, but I swear I hear her say claustrophobic. Oh, s–t.”
Hamilton senses something is off right away. “So I sit back down and she’s vibrating with anxiety. I hand her (the) seatbelt and settle in when she looks at me, tears starting to stream down her face and says she can’t do this. She’s extremely claustrophobic and she didn’t get to pick her seat and she needs to get out NOW.”
Look for the helpers
The sense of urgency is palpable, so Hamilton goes into service mode. “‘Okay’, I tell her, ‘what can I do to help? We can hold hands and I can talk to you the whole flight or I have coloring books in my bag and emergency rescue meds if you need them?’ She picks handholding and talking and for the next hour, I show her pictures of Florence and the Meowchines and Hank the house hippo and Fifi the dodobird and she tells me about her internship and her last semester of college that starts this week and her roommate and her major which is very similar to the work I do.”
It was clear that what, just a short time earlier, seemed like the worst seat on the plane became the best. “And suddenly, we’re in Atlanta and I realize I had the best seat on the plane. And for once, I am glad I’ve struggled with my mental health as much as I have because it meant I knew what to do when I saw someone else in distress. I got to be the helper and pay back some of the kindness and empathy that’s been shown to me.”
Adorable pet pictures to the rescue
Hamilton, for her final thread, shares precious photos of Florence and the Meowchines and Hank ‘”the house hippo,” joking, “And before I get called out for tax evasion…” The dogs and cats in the photos seem to elicit as much joy as the story.
In just a day, the story received nearly 10,000 likes and hundreds of comments. Some go straight for the pet photos, with one Threader writing, ‘You’re a good person and all, but ‘Forence and the Meowchines’ is the best part of the story for me. Did they remake Dog Days are Over?” Hamilton agrees. “Yes, my foster mama cat who we’re keeping and her adopted daughter, Gumball, Automated Teller, Fax and Ferris Wheel.”
There’s kindness everywhere
Another shares the vulnerable moment they too panicked on a flight. “I had my first anxiety attack on a flight with turbulence – my first work trip away from my 12-week-old first born. I was sweating and crying and the man in the seat next to me asked if I was okay, and I said no. He said, ‘Okay, I’m a trained crisis intervention specialist, can I help you?” And help me he did. He let me put my hand on his arm and talked to me for the next two hours. I’m crying just remembering his compassion. My first born turns 13 on Friday.”
And this person sums up the whole story quite delightfully. “Sometimes the right person shows up at the right time. We all need more of this in the world.”
Discussing mental health
Upworthy had a quick chat with Hamilton, who shares the two on the plane didn’t exchange contact info. “I’m not confident we even exchanged names,” she admits.
When asked why she had the coloring books on the ready, she shares that she too has anxiety. “I have the books and colored pencils/pens for myself, as I have an anxiety disorder and sometimes need a distraction.”
And while she says she’s never gotten to help another with anxiety, she has been public in the past about mental health. She has even taken part in discussing her struggles with anxiety on South Carolina Public Radio, for a piece where she shares how to “explain depression and anxiety” to her own child.
