Last weekend, I had the opportunity to ski alone, which means a lot of trips up the chairlift in the singles line. This can seem a little daunting. You are all by your lonesome, faced with the prospect of sharing approximately five feet of space with three strangers for five minutes or so. I am not going to lie to you, it can be uncomfortable, but sometimes you find yourself on a magical chair and you have an AWESOME conversation with your fellow riders.
The funny thing is that unless I am decked out in my skiing gear ( including helmet and goggles so no one can actually see who I am) I tend to be pretty shy. But put me on a chairlift on a beautiful powdery day and I will talk to anyone and everyone.
This past Sunday I talked about ski programs, the conditions, my kids, my parents, a weird connection between my fellow rider and a friend I haven't seen since college, my dog, all four seasons, my hometown, a new invention someone was thinking through, the dangers of dodge ball (torn rotator cuff. Ouch!), what we had for dinner and dessert the night before, sports, the Olympics, how to enhance a trucks headlights, sound system, and lift carriage, music, list goes on and on.
After reflecting on this awesome day, I realized that maybe, if it just stepped out of my comfort zone and actually started conversations with the people that I encounter every day, I could meet so many new people and have that many more connections. Imagine the conversations that I could have in the line at the grocery store, the post office, the bank...
This is one area where my kids had the world figured out before me. I often joke that they are little mayors. They know almost everyone they come across (strangely enough) and if they don't, they say "hi" and chat. (Not in a scary, unsafe way). So, today, I am going to make a point of saying "hi" to more strangers that I come across in my travels in hopes and being more friendly, welcoming, and engaging to the people around me.
What is that old saying? Strangers are just friends you haven't made yet.
P.S. More projects on the way. We have a long stretch of at-home time coming up which translates into fun project time. Oh, Project Time, how I have missed you!
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