If you didn't know me in real life, and you're only source of knowledge about me is this blog, I bet you'd be either pretty worried or pretty happy for me. By the lack of posts, one could assume I've either died while trying to make friends with the wrong person, or have had such a good time, I simply forget all about reporting my results.
It's actually neither.
Writing a blog takes time, and with school, it's been a bit tough the last few days. I also haven't had quite the itch to write this week. But I owe you guys some results, so here they are. You'll note that I have skipped a day (Sunday). This is because I had a particularly interesting conversation with someone on that day, and I'd like to save the story for a time when I really feel like writing. I owe it to the story to give it all my attention.
That being said, here's a quick update of the last few days.
I'm still smiling at everyone I walk by. To those of you reading this from Iowa, it isn't a big deal. Iowan's smile and wave to everyone. Even when it's a completely inappropriate time to do so. Like when you're both in 2,000 lb vehicles, traveling at 40 mph in opposite directions. They call it the farmer wave: one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on the edge of the open window. Depending on your location within Iowa, the farmer wave is either two, or three lifted fingers from the hand on the steering wheel. I miss that place.
But to my audience in North Carolina, this type of behavior seems a bit quirky. I see people reacting to my hearty and unnecessary greeting with confusion. They really don't know what to do. Today, a young man sitting by himself looked up, then away, then back at me with a half smile half grimace before quickly looking at his feet again. It was like when you run as fast as you can at a bunny (Something we should all strive to do at least once a day), and it doesn't know what to do, so it attempts to run in every direction at once before deciding the 'play dead' routine will work just fine. As if I didn't notice it clearly moving three seconds ago...Silly rabbits..
I have also gotten over the fear of striking conversation with people that don't look like they want to. I'm reminded of the importance of being interested, rather than trying to be interesting, when speaking to others. I'm also realizing that the key to making others comfortable around you, is by being comfortable with yourself. This means if you're an introvert, don't feel like you need to go out and speak to a bunch of people. Just be who you are. Others will subconsciously pick up on your air of confidence, even if silent, and enjoy your presence.
I'll end with a few encounters that I've had so far this week:
Last night I played flip cup with 2 teams of kickball people that I've never met. I'll probably be seeing some of them again someday in the not-to-distant future.
I went to the basketball court and played with some kids I've never met. Not a big deal, but it still counts!
I spoke with a woman on the phone while trying to get help with my bank account. She lives in Kansas City. I asked her if everyone was sad about KU losing, and she laughed, informing me that she was a huge Mizzou fan. Who would have thought I'd call a national 800 number and wind up speaking with a Mizzou fan.
That's one of the other things I'm learning in this experiment. Chances are, you're going to have something pretty big in common with almost every stranger you meet. When you meet that person, think of it as a game to find out what it is that you probably have in common! I think they call this establishing rapport. We do it on a subconscious level whenever becoming friends with someone. Finding connections between you and someone else increases the strength of the connection between you and that stranger. This increases the level of comfort between the two people, and before long, they won't be calling each other strangers.
That's it for now. Hopefully this weekend I can get around to the story from last Sunday. It's a good one, so be sure to check it out.
No comments:
Post a Comment