A heartbroken woman asked plane passengers to write a story in her notebook. It changed her life.

For many people, heartbreak is a hard, lonely experience. For one woman, though, the experience became a chance to connect. Instead of sitting alone in her misery on a flight, Robin Gelfenbien reached out to her fellow flyers. Gelfenbien shared the incredible story of how she forged a plane-wide connection on American Airlines Flight 4449. She explained that, at 46, her long-term boyfriend decided to end things. But rather than “run a marathon” after her breakup like some, she pulled out a notebook and passed it around instead. Together, Gelfenbien and her fellow passengers created a story that helped heal her broken heart—and restored other passengers’ faith in humanity. Creating a story with strangers In the video, Gelfenbien says she had been in “the most serious relationship of my life, and my longest one.” The breakup left her feeling “disconnected and alone.” She had a desire to connect, but as is common today, everyone was “on their phone,” which made her feel “even more alone.” So, she took a leap of faith with a “crazy idea”: “I take out a notebook on a plane and write, ‘Let’s create a story together!’” She invited people to “write and have fun,” but it took some courage. She shared that she “nervously asked a guy if he wants to do it”…and he did. The notebook got passed around the entire plane; she didn’t see it again for an hour and a half. The final story After it was all said and done, Gelfenbien got to read the final story over the plane’s PA system. She added, “People stop me as I return to my seat. They’re giddy sharing what they wrote!” She also noted that one passenger told her, “You restored my faith in humanity.” But Gelfenbien flipped the script, writing, “But the truth is, those passengers restored my faith in humanity.” Here’s how the final story turned out: “Once upon a time there was a woman who had lunch in the park. She was on vacation. This was the first vacation she had ever taken. And she was looking for the best meatball sub in America. Her first stop was NY. I’ve rarely flown, but getting on this small plane has been unexpectedly ok. Hope to make it back to St. Louis. I’m not sure NYC is the best place for great meatballs – certainly for meatheads! She hopped in a cab to little Italy to see her cousin. When she arrived in Little Italy, she saw a parade and joined one of the bands. Unfortunately, not knowing how to play an instrument or dance got her sided/sized out right away. But not before meeting this amazing person. This person stood out to her. Among the hoards of people, she walked by during the parade, this individual caught her eye. He was tall, dark hair and had a NY Yankees ball cap on. He was alone, and emotionless, surprisingly calm. You could tell he wasn’t a Native New Yorker. He was from Mars, really. He came from the red planet, disguising himself as a fellow human. Little did people know, he had blue blood running through his veins and a cure for all of the terrible diseases plaguing Planet Earth! He asked her if she would go with him to watch a Broadway show. She said she would if he would donate some of his blue blood and get her a meatball sub! The martian code strictly stated that absolutely no relationship was allowed during a mission on Earth. They were supposed to observe human behavior in order to plan a potential future invasion. But XVIST didn’t care about the protocols, he felt a special connection with this human woman. A weird feeling that he never experienced before. The feeling of knowing this lady for years whereas she was a complete stranger. Was it what humans call love?” Viewers respond Gelfenbien’s video touched viewers’ hearts. In a follow-up video, she wrote, “Always remember that you are not alone and you are on your own path.” Here’s what viewers had to say: “An amazing example of what one person can do. 😍 Yes, human connection is everything. Who made us believe we’re separate anyway. 🤷🏻‍♀️” “That was so brave! I’d love to be in that flight, with my daughter (who loves writing). And the fact that you read it on board ❤️❤️❤️🙌🙌🙌👏” “I’m sorry for your pain. I love what you did!” “Storytelling is such a big part of human connection! I love this!” “I wanna be on a plane with you! 👏🙌” “We are healing each other ❤️”