On the flight back to Newark on January 6th, Romy was not at all noisy. In fact, she was transfixed by the passenger next to her who was crocheting her sweater for most of the five-hour flight.
“I was hooked is the right word,” Kelly Levine said. “Romy is a very curious baby. She just loves watching people and observing.”
Passenger Megan Rubin, of Villanova, Pennsylvania, who was traveling with her boyfriend, noticed the wide-eyed toddler while wearing a sweater. She was tickled by the attention.
“She started looking at me very curiously,” said Rubin, a former dancer and Pilates instructor. fitness program.
Rubin taught herself how to crochet during the pandemic, and she sometimes makes pieces to order. Usually just for family and friends. She still considers herself a beginner.
While the baby sat there, mesmerized by Rubin’s quick finger movements, the Levins had no idea what Rubin was working on. After completing the sweater, Rubin saw her curious baby and decided she had plenty of time and yarn to start on a new project: a baby beanie. She expected she could assemble it in about an hour.
“I had to do it,” she said, adding that she tries to surprise strangers with homemade gifts whenever she can.
A few minutes after the plane landed, Rubin turned to the couple, handed them a small cream-colored hat and announced, “Okay, we’re done!”
“We were in complete shock, as were the passengers around us,” Kelly Levin said. “I almost burst into tears.”
“We felt so good,” the husband said.
“It feels good to donate,” said Rubin, who was with the Levins on their first flight. Although they never interacted, Rubin became aware of his family.
“They were so patient and so beautifully co-parenting together,” Rubin said. “I was just drawn to them.”
Passengers on the plane watched in delight as Rubin let Romy try on a new hat. The beanie fit the baby perfectly.
“Everyone was so happy to see the kindness of strangers,” Kelly Levine said. “There was no particular reason other than to be kind.” “It was a special moment.”
Levine decided to share her story on social media in hopes of uplifting more people. The TikTok she posted is 7.4 million times.
“I never thought in a million years that I would get this kind of response,” said Kelly Levin, who first spoke to the site. hoboken girls About that moment.
Hundreds of comments poured in, including “I remembered that people are still kind” and “I love people.”
Rubin said she was surprised when a crowd of people suddenly started following her crochet. instagram accountwhich went from fewer than 200 followers to nearly 26,000 in a matter of days.
“I’m so grateful that it happened and that it inspired other people,” Rubin said.
The Levins said they look forward to sharing this story with their daughter someday.
“I want to make sure that Romy knows for the rest of her life that people can be kind to each other for no reason, and that this story inspired others to do the same,” Kelly Levine said. I want to go,” he said, adding that he and Rubin have stayed in touch and kept in touch. I hope we get together soon. “We want her to be a part of our lives forever.”
Ms. Rubin says she wants it and has her crochet hook ready.
“I’m always going to make baby gifts,” she said.