Talk to Strangers (but don’t let your mom know I told you too!)

I’ve gotta say, I have some of the utmost respect for genuinely nice individuals; folks who will strike up a friendly conversation with just about anyone. Who cares if the only thing you appear to have in common is the fact that you’re both eating at the same table. You won’t find out what else you have in common unless you start talking!

I just say this because I was realizing today how much I appreciate folks who aren’t afraid to talk to anyone. Let’s face it, I’m not the kind of person you see and are like, “dang, I wanna talk to that girl!” but still, I’ve been blessed with those truly friendly individuals who will still start talking to me out of the clear blue and once we get talking the fun begins!

While these might not seem so much as “strangers” to y’all, I’ve been lucky enough to have three or four individuals that I had classes with last semester but NEVER spoke a single word with (mostly because we were always sitting on opposite sides of the classrooms from one another) strike up conversations with me this semester either in our classes that we have together now or just when we happen to see one another around. Today alone I had two different conversations with two fellow classmates from last semester that I have much respect for just from listening to them speak up in class. One was just a casual conversation discussing one of our classes we are in together this semester while we were standing in line for a meeting, but the other one came during my dinner break when I was sitting in the student lounge eating and piddling around on my laptop. This student was a peer from a class last semester. I always admired her for what seemed to be shear brilliance that she exemplified through class discussions. I don’t have classes with her this semester and actually this was my first time to run into her this semester, but she immediately sat down across from me at the table and we talked the entire time that we ate. Not only was it fun, but she was SOOOO incredibly helpful for helping me to decide what to do about a school scheduling situation I’ve been stressing over for the past week or so.

Sooo, maybe simply being in a classroom for a semester without any formal greeting or a single word spoken to one another still represents a bond you share with your peers. Either way, I’ll never turn down an opportunity to talk with someone because you never know when some simple words can lead to a new friendship!