Conversations with strangers...
This activity began three years ago, back as the covid days were ending. I know we all try to forget those days but one of the good things that came out of it were the times I finally got out in public to talk to someone. Anyone!
It made my day after all those lonely times spent at my desk laboring at home. I worked from our home office (a small table off the kitchen) for over three years only seeing co-workers during Teams meetings on the screen of my laptop. When I did get out sparingly, most of us were wearing masks and were a bit fearful of each other. We spread apart at least six feet and did not talk to one another.
After all that time, one becomes starved for some human interaction other than one’s family.
Fast forward to today, I’ve tried to remember how good it is to connect with someone, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Being the nerdy writer guy that I’m trying to be, I wrote down some of my encounters. I had this grand idea of trying to meet a stranger every day of the year, strike up a conversation and maybe make a best-selling book where I’d be rich and famous when I retire. I was going to title it “365 Days of Chats with Strangers”.
Anyway, after calming down a bit, I realized that it probably wouldn’t make for a best seller, but that didn’t deter me from trying to continue meeting people on a daily basis.
You never know who might need a bit of a chat from someone. Who knows? Maybe they feel the same as I do, that it’s nice to connect with others. For some folks who live alone, they might really look forward to a quick conversation with a neighbor while they’re getting their groceries. (And yes, I know some people would absolutely love it if I left them alone to their coffee and bagel. I’m learning quickly who those people are but alas, once again, I digress.)
That being said, let me give you a couple quick examples of people I’ve met recently.
At the gym, I met a guy who was seemingly content to finish his workout and just go home. As I walked in, I mentioned how quiet the gym was. I said I was just there to watch the NFL playoffs while working out on the elliptical. We talked about college football and the seemingly endless amount of bowl games. He didn’t seem to want to talk at first but I like to think he was happy to give me his thoughts on the good and bad of college football. He said he didn’t like how NIL money and transfers were changing football as we knew it. I had never seen him before but we ended up having a pretty nice chat.
Another day, I saw this delightful older woman in the fruit section of our local grocery store. She was carefully looking over the bananas. I said I was looking for some with a slight bit of green on them for my wife. She eats one every day. She started to tell me when it was best to eat a banana. Then she asked how I liked them. I told her I was pretty picky (shocking) and only liked it when the banana was yellow and soft. She looked at me and said she wasn’t picky at all. She gave me a look and advised me to just eat them, because “They’re good for you.”
We talked for several minutes. Neither of us was in a rush. I love these chats.
Like I said, none of these dialogues are all that super exciting but I do enjoy connecting with others.
I wonder who I’ll meet the next time I head out of the house.
For now, however, I’m gonna go enjoy this banana even if it’s not yellow. After all, it’s good for you.