Words from the Window Seat

The Everyday Magic of Kindness, Courage, and Being Your True Self

By: Taylor Tippett

Narrated by: Chloe Dolandis

Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

With charm, inspiration, and plenty of whimsy, Taylor reminds us that even in a weary world, it’s possible to celebrate the beauty in each person’s unique story - and make a difference that goes deeper than you’ll ever know.

Flight attendant Taylor Tippett had just finished beverage service and was sitting in the back of a Boeing 737 when she had a revelation: How can I show kindness to these passengers if I can’t show it to myself? She grabbed a tiny notepad and a Sharpie and wrote: “Be kind to yourself.” Before she had time to think about it, Taylor taped the note to a window, posted a picture, and then left the slip of paper in a seat-back pocket for someone on the next flight to find. And soon what started as a personal project to encourage herself and others became a viral sensation.

In Words from the Window Seat, Taylor shares stories of her travels, daily life, and interactions with people of all kinds, anchoring each chapter around a note she’s left for a stranger to find. As she takes you from Chicago to Paris to Barcelona on planes, trains, and even a skateboard, you’ll:

• learn how to embody love in the midst of someone else’s ordinary day through little acts of kindness;
• discover the small moments of magic that happen when you have the courage to find them;
• find ways to embrace your authentic self, even though life can be hard.

©2021 Taylor Tippett (P)2021 Thomas Nelson

Not enough grit

Let me start by saying that Taylor seems like such a nice human. But this book was fluffy and cheesy for me. It lacked the grit and rawness that I crave in books. I also thought it was going to be more stories from her interactions with others as a flight attendant. Those come far and few between; it is mostly a light-hearted memoir and reads a little self-helpy. I just wanted more from her. I believe she has struggled (though I did roll my eyes at her talking about how painful the decision to focus on rest, eating good food and going to therapy during the pandemic was for her), but I wanted to be pulled more into the details and depths of her struggles, not just told “I’ve really struggled with unhealthiness.” Writing 101 is “show me, don’t tell me.” That was lacking here. I know she mentioned not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings in her writing but unfortunately that kept a distance between her story and her audience that left me as a reader dissatisfied and feeling this was a shallow read.

Was expecting general inspiration

This is specifically Christian. There's a lot of talk about Jesus. Great, if you follow that tradition. Not so much for others. There should have been info on this in the synopsis. I had to regretfully stop & remove from device.