It’s no secret that I just love speaking with strangers. It doesn’t mean I’m in the mood to do so all the time or that I want to speak with all strangers. But there’s something so special to me about connecting with people, and it can be a brief experience or something more profound. But it’s all about a genuine connection, anything shallow or insincere is a no-thank-you-from-me. I’ve fostered an idea to write a book about all the lovely encounters I’ve had with strangers (in taxis, on planes, around tables, while running errands, etc) for some time, to share the wisdom, knowledge and stories I’ve come across. Not sure I’ll do it, but I’ll continue to collect experiences.
So last week I start talking to this guy who tells me about his family business, a liquorice factory (one of 12 in the world)?! How cool isn’t that? I was fascinated to learn about the plant and the extraction process, and all of the different uses for liquorice extract. Did you know that all cigarettes are laced with liquorice (it’s a moistening agent required to enable smoking more than one cigarette) making the tobacco industry the largest customers? Another person I spoke with owns a little business that transports large animal, mainly race horses and camels. Fascinating! I love learning new things.
In one day alone last week I had the following encounters with strangers; the mechanic refused to let me pay for the minor repair because the sun was shining, a guy tries to pick me up in the mini-mart pretending to think I work there (really dude, that’s a fail!), the taxi driver tells me stories of culture shock in Sweden, a new colleague I just met tells me my smile is breath taking, and the old man I greet every morning outside my building finally smiles back. Ok, even for me that’s a record in talking to strangers. Now I need some alone time.
I’m so fascinated by the “human condition”. According to Wikipidia it’s defined as "the characteristics, key events, and situations which compose the essentials of human existence, such as birth, growth, emotionality, aspiration, conflict, and mortality". Hmmm, that pretty much covers everything?! Of course I can read about it, but it's not enough, I want to hear people’s own stories, to discuss and share my own – with the laughter and tears to go with it. And this week has been magical. Maybe having my birthday had something to do with it (or getting to know people better over time), I’ve had so many significant moments of connection with new colleagues and friends, as well as strangers. I’m smiling both inside and on the outside.
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