Human Tofu

When you become a flight attendant, you’re told you need to be flexible in order to do well in this line of work. What they don’t tell you is you’ll need flexibility outside of the aircraft just as much as (if not more than) inside it. In fact, I would argue that being a limber-minded individual has very little to do with the actual job, and everything to do with attitude.

For example, a major fork in the road appeared for me and Belle here in Charlotte recently;  Jasmine and Aurora will no longer be our roommates. I won’t disclose too many of the details, especially since we’re still in the thick of it, but when push comes to shove, Jasmine didn’t manage her money well and can’t afford her spot on the lease, and Aurora wants to split off and find a place of her own— a much easier undertaking since she was our “crasher” and has never been on the lease. In the mean time, we’re looking at a replacement for Jasmine, and possibly another crasher.

My initial reaction was “are you f*cking kidding me?!” We’re 3 months into the lease, and I was irked that Jasmine thought you could just leave, especially with a week’s notice. As someone who has had experience living on her own for the last 7 years, I find it very irresponsible not to plan ahead and live within one’s means. The mere concept of leaving my roommate’s cheese out in the wind as a direct result of my inability to budget gets me very riled up (can you tell?)
As an accounting major, I’m big on constant financial vigilance and careful planning. This hasn’t always been the case—in my younger years I was a frivolous spender, mainly because I didn’t see the value of planning for a rainy day, but even then I didn’t spend more than I had. In those days I had never experienced “the pinch”, so to speak.  Having monthly bills, a credit card and student loans will sober you up quick.

What I have to realize (in more areas than just financial) is that everybody isn’t like me. Everybody doesn’t think like me— even if I’m right.  As Belle kindly reminds me every so often, this too shall pass. We’ve just got to take the right steps to cover our butts and make sure we dot all our i’s and cross all our t’s with bills in this transitory phase.

At the end of the day, the lesson is simple. Flexibility is absolutely essential to survive when you move in with people you’ve known for a month, in a city you’re completely unfamiliar with. Of course gears are going to get warped in the crazy hurdy-gurdy we call flight attendant life. The key is to be what I whimsically call human tofu— blend in with your surroundings, and learn to adapt quickly. Control the factors you can, and don’t give yourself an aneurism over the ones you can’t.