I met Maya Angelou in the 1990’s. I sat next to her on a flight. Looking back on it, I would describe it more accurately as “She got stuck next to me on a flight.” She looked very tired and was not in the mood for conversation. Unfortunately for her, that did not stop me from attempting to make conversation. After several failed attempts including such gems as “Yanno, I’m a writer too!” and “You smell really good!” I had an epiphany as I could see the burgeoning contempt she had for me in her eyes. I had become one of those annoying travelers. I learned a valuable lesson about traveling and personal space.
