Directional Synchronicity: The Bow Maker

I hate being bored on airplanes. I usually take a big stack of magazines with me to pass the time. While I enjoy conversations with seatmates, you can't count on the idea that the person next to you will want to talk the whole time. I had just boarded the flight from Columbus to Atlanta and I realized that I had left my stack of magazines at home. I cursed myself.

Then a man came and sat next to me. I don't know who started the conversation, but I don't think it was me. While I am very open to strangers, I am not usually one to initiate. We talked for about 15 minutes and then exchanged names.

Rodney Mohr is one of the most fascinating people I have ever met. He is a second generation carpenter and a world-renowned bow maker for violins. (Yes, quite random, I know). He is the only bow maker in Ohio. It takes him a week to make just one of these classic bows.

Now I should say, I know nothing about violins or bows. That didn't matter. What oozed out of him was his passion for the craft. He has been making bows for 25 years. We should all have something that we are that passionate about.

We ended up talking for the whole hour and a half flight. Not just about bows, but about everything. We both like research. We talked about caring for aging parents. We talked about music.

Now here is the other funny synchronicity: right as we were about to land, Rodney realized he was sitting in the wrong seat.

If you are in the market for bows or bow restoration, Rodney is your man. Check out his website.