The Quiet Knowing: The Day I met Brandon on a Plane
A few years ago, I got on a flight to Utah with a heavy heart. I was going through a lot at the time. Faith, identity, family, healing… all of it was swirling inside me, and I honestly didn’t know where I stood anymore. I was somewhere between holding on and letting go, and part of me felt like I was floating through life with no real anchor.
And then I met Brandon.
We happened to sit next to each other on that flight, and what started as small talk turned into one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve ever had with a stranger. Except he didn’t feel like a stranger. He felt familiar. Safe. Seen.
We talked about life. About the Church. About queerness. About navigating both. I didn’t tell him my whole story, but I remember thinking something about this moment mattered. That conversation stayed with me for a long time. So long that I ended up writing about it in a chapter of my book.
That chapter became one of the most personal ones I’ve ever written. It captured a moment that felt almost divine, not because of what was said, but because of how I felt. Understood. Grounded. Less alone. It was the kind of encounter you look back on and realize was always meant to happen. A moment where everything aligns in a way that’s hard to explain but impossible to ignore.
Since that day, Brandon and I have kept in touch and become good friends. Neither of us believes that conversation was just a coincidence. We were way up in the sky, but the meaning of what we shared reached even higher than that. I know that sounds kind of cheesy, but it’s true. Sometimes life hands you exactly who you need in the exact moment you need it. That day, for me, it was Brandon.
The book is called The Quiet Knowing, and it’s the story of how I made peace with all the parts of myself I used to hide. I grew up near Mexico City in a culturally Catholic home, converted to Mormonism as a teenager, and spent years trying to become someone I thought God would love more. For a while, I thought I had to choose between my faith and my truth. I spent a long time trying to disappear into the version of me that felt easier for others to accept. But I always knew, deep down, that I couldn’t live like that forever.
This book is for anyone who’s ever sat in church wondering what’s wrong with them. It’s for people who have felt the pressure to be perfect or the pain of being rejected for who they are. It’s also for people who have come out the other side with a deeper understanding of themselves, even if that journey was lonely or complicated.
Meeting Brandon on that flight felt like a tiny miracle I didn’t recognize until later. And now I get to share this post here, on his blog, which honestly blows my mind. Life is strange and beautiful like that.
If you’ve ever wrestled with questions about your faith or identity, I hope this book makes you feel less alone. I hope it reminds you that your story matters. And I hope you know that even in the middle of the mess, there is always a quiet knowing inside of you that already understands the truth. You are worthy of love just as you are.
You can find The Quiet Knowing here: https://a.co/d/8sTst5a, and connect with me on Instagram at @CarlosMeetsNYC if you ever want to talk more.
With love,
Carlos
