[herr_oberst]

I recently took a flight where my 2 seatmates were obese. It's the old cliché; they waddle down the aisle looking at numbers and my dread is confirmed when they take A and B next to me in C. I immediately put my elbow on the armrest, vowing silently to hold that like a hand grenade.

Fortunately, the flight is relatively short, but I settle in with my kindle. I don't move a muscle, and I don't talk.

About halfway thru the trip, unsolicited, the woman asks me if I need to use the restroom.

I gotta tell you guys, that was my Grinch moment where my heart grew two sizes that day.

I'm not saying everyone would be that self aware, but she certainly was and I was moved and touched by such a small gesture on her part. (It might have been that I was fishing my dick out and getting ready to pee in a cup that made her ask)
But seriously,
The second half of the flight we engaged in small talk, and the hard, hot pit of anger that I had been holding in my gut was gone by the time I reached my destination.

This story in no way means that I'm suddenly a fan of sitting next to people that are far too large for hours on a crowded flight; but at least at that moment I had some compassion. Now get the hell off of my lawn.