Is It Just Me Or Do You Miss Bonding With Strangers Too

At a time where it feels like we can't have much personal interaction with people, I think the biggest thing I miss is just fun, little interactions with strangers.

Things like striking up a conversation in the frozen food aisle or somehow realizing a stranger likes the same things you do and you get really excited because you were the only one and so many other scenarios I feel like are falling to the wayside.

Yesterday a friend asked me "Do you hate people or do you consider yourself to have a lot of close friends?"

It was a tough one to answer. I joke a lot about "I hate people" but in all reality, I hate the things people do and the way people treat each other but in general I absolutely love people.

My response to the question was that I am often too much of an optimist and try to see the good in everyone (even when there's none there) and I think everyone on this planet has a story to tell and I truly think that's beautiful.

Now this interaction came yesterday after I made a trip to Walgreens and my ears perked up when I heard a fellow customer telling the cashier all about a documentary I also watched and loved! The excitement on that other customer's face gave me such a big hit of serotonin I didn't know what to do other than smile.

Then, I got up to the cashier and she was absolutely lovely and I could tell she was definitely a conversationalist and, well, so am I! We ended up having a ten-minute conversation about life, gifts for friends and family and we both walked away grinning ear-to-ear.

That interaction alone struck me more than any others throughout the pandemic and it totally shifted my mood for the day.

I sincerely hope that we can get back to that soon. Just because we have masks on doesn't mean you can't smile at someone with just your eyes, or tell them you like their boots or share in the joy of "oh my gosh you like that thing too!?"

We need to get back to making those minute-long friends and having interactions with our fellow humans that make us believe in the good that's out there in the world again.

As Stevie Nicks once said, "“We all really basically have a lot of magic … it’s only those of us that choose to accept it that really understand it.”

I know we are taught from a very young age "don't talk to strangers" but here are just a few benefits Cleverism says there are to it: