one of these such pleasures is shooting the breeze with a stranger... nothing warms my heart more than to have a pleasant random conversation with another human being who i happen to be sat next to, stood in a line behind, thrown together with by fate... i understand that not everyone likes to chat, that to some, the idea of a stranger chatting to them is horrifying and an unwelcome intrusion into their reality tunnel*... even if that stranger is lovely little ol' me! ;)
recently i have found myself having more chats that usual, i have had a little extra time on my hands so i guess i just had the time to chat i was missing before... on a train i chatted to a man who was meeting his son for a big day at the football... he told me about his dog (a chocolate lab - i even saw a pic thanks to mobile technology!) his business, his son, his partner, his hometown in Essex... what a lovely window into a stranger's life! later the same day i chatted to a cab driver who took my joke about him knowing how to negotiate the busy Birmingham city centre streets and turned it into a fantastical story about how he was waiting to get wings fitted to his car but the licence to fly in the city was pretty steep hehe, that was fun! another cabbie told me he'd only recenlty figured out he'd been driving his cab for 20yrs, he'd seen it all and after all that was still convinced that on the whole people were good at heart... what a lovely confirmation from a reputable source! another chap i sat next to a another train was from Australia and shared with me that his favourite chocolate bar was a Twix.. which now when i see it in the store reminds me of him! haha
i don't discount the argument that sometimes you don't want to chat to the stranger trying to make conversation... if they seem a little bonkers it's a worry! but you have to negotiate through without seeming rude & unfriendly... my mum says i'm too nice and attract bonkers people but i think there are worse things to be accused of! ;)
i believe a chat with a stranger, bijou and beautiful, gone in an instant, is like a vignette in your life... completely stand alone, of no consequence and yet such a human experience.. we are social animals after all.. i urge you reader to be more chatty and enjoy it!
*my boyf says everyone has this, he heard it via some old philosopher dude... i like the concept and think it rationalises strange behaviours i witness in the everyday!
1 comment:
Please consider the possibility that you were born to be a cab driver.
Post a Comment