Perspectives

Part of what I like about writing this column is that I get to research subjects I don't know about, or at least don't know enough about. Despite writing more than 200 columns during the last 10 years or so, it has never been difficult to find a topic. My favorite way to land on a topic is to be introduced to it by a reader of my writing.

In February 1976, I lucked into an assignment in Australia for Eastman Kodak. En route, I stopped in Auckland, New Zealand, to visit the local operations. My host invited me to sail in the harbor, with plans for a swim and a cookout. The swim was abruptly canceled when we looked overboard to see the water covered with thousands of moon jellyfish.

I was 19 and in nursing school. On an impulse, I sent a resume to Trans World Airlines. Word had it they were looking for airline stewardesses and hostesses. I got a call to meet with them, and two weeks later I was off to Queens, New York. After several hours of interviewing, I was hired. Holy smokes! What started as a whim had suddenly turned into a reality.