Are you ready for a story that will brighten your day and restore your faith in humanity? Well, sit yourself down and let us introduce you to Prieska Outland; a U.S. flight attendant who showcased the #TogetherinTravel spirit.
Right now acts of kindness, no matter how big or small, are more important than ever.
It’s a tough time for so many, so staying compassionate and open-hearted, could really change the world for a friend, family, or stranger that you cross paths with.
We came across Prieska’s story on Facebook and thought it demonstrated the #TogetherinTravel community spirit beautifully.
So here it is…
Prieska, a U.S. flight attendant, landed in CLT (Charlotte Douglas International Airport) and upon exiting the airport, she approached the bathroom and saw 4 signs blocking the entrance.
She thought to herself, “How bad do I need to use the bathroom? Can I hold it until I get to my place or go ahead and stop now?” But she decided to stop.
She wrote, “I went into the bathroom and saw an elderly woman in there cleaning up. She said, “Y’all just don’t pay any attention to the signs”. I told her “Actually I did, it read “CAUTION WET FLOOR”, not “CLOSED”. She said, “That means the bathroom is closed”.
Prieska apologised to the bathroom attendant. She said “All the water I drank was ready to exit the body. There was no turning back! I told her I’d make it quick.”
She wrote “While standing at the sink washing my hands, I looked at her cleaning through the mirror. She said, “this is my 3rd time cleaning this bathroom today, folks are just nasty”.
“With empathy, I let her know how much I appreciated her cleaning the bathroom and all the cleaning crew at the airport. I reached into my pouch and gave her $20. She froze as she stared in awe.
“She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “thank you so much. I really appreciate you for this”. I told her someone blessed me with that $20, and now I’m paying it forward.”
Prieska wrote “Now in tears, she said, “this is truly a blessing because you gave it to someone who really needs it. I’m saving money to get my teeth fixed. I just had all 4 front teeth pulled”. She pulled down her mask to show me. “Now this money will be added to my teeth savings. I had $41 now this makes $61. I’m almost there”.
“At that point, I was trying to hold back my tears. She was so excited to get that $20. I asked her how much was she trying to save. She said $1,071. At that moment, a still small voice said to me, “PAY IT”.
Prieska said she thought to herself “Umm excuse me? Is that you God? Or who is that calling my pockets?”.
The flight attendant didn’t wait long before following orders. Prieska asked for the lady’s name, Ms. Frances, and collected her & the dentist’s information. She told her she’d be in touch.
Then, Prieska immediately went outside the airport to call the dentist, they verified everything Ms. Frances told her was correct. In tears, she said she “simply paid the bill.”
“I thanked God for allowing me to be a blessing to a total stranger,” Prieska wrote.
She said it was very strange and it took a while to process what happened, but it was a done deal.
“I called Ms. Frances back. I had to refreshen her memory of who I was. She was like, “oh yes, Teresa, I remember you”. As many times as I tried to pronounce my name “PrEE-ska”, she couldn’t get it. We both laughed. She said she’ll just call me Teresa!”
“Then I told her to go get her teeth fixed. She asked, “Whatchu you mean?” and I told her, her dental bill is paid in full. Just schedule your appointment.
“She burst into tears. She couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t stop thanking me and asked what could she do to repay me. I told her to be kind, keep smiling, and have an awesome day!”
Prieska concluded her heartwarming story with one of my favourite sayings:
People come into your life for a reason, season, or a lifetime. Find out why YOU are placed into others’ lives and see it through.
As well as being working as a flight attendant and Zumba instructor, Preska organises Crash Pads for professionals who travel for work.
What a legend.