My father is known for having conversations with random people at times when we are trying to get somewhere quickly. It's no wonder we were never on time to any function. Frustrating to be waiting for him as he's practically interviewing strangers on their life story with no end in sight with a wave of the hand and a "nice talking to you." But this is how I grew up, along with my other five siblings, with a father who has the Gift of Gab.
Of course, I have been told that I am not lacking in this department - which is partly why I'm here writing on a blog. It's a great way of writing down observations through interactions with total strangers and what they have to tell. But when I listen to people around me, young or old, I realize that their challenges and their wins are more than just a story, they are opportunities for each of us to learn. There is no one experience which is unheard of, yet each of them are unique to that person's path.
The story they tell might not ever happen to you or someone you know, but the take-away is so much greater than living in our own teeny tiny bubble believing that our situation is unique. It is not unique to the world, but unique to each of us with our individual triumphs and challenges that make us either grumble or cheer.
It's through other people's stories that we learn how to survive a similar situation with our individual perspective. It's through other people's stories that we appreciate what we already have, what we hope to have with a little more time or work, and the true meaning of our individual happiness. After all, happiness is not the same exact recipe for each person.
My father, albeit a talkative soul, understands the importance in connecting with people with stopping to talk to Mr and Mrs Rose to learn a little bit about them.
In today's world, we are more connected than ever through machines and gadgets. We find previous high school friends on Facebook, whom we may never have spoken to following graduation. It's easily possible that high schools and colleges have noticed a decline in Alumni weekends, as we have already caught up via social media sites. We are more connected to friends and acquaintances than 10 years ago.
Yet, when we are in close proximity to others, we hesitate to even make eye contact. We wouldn't speak to a stranger that looks sad or tired or grumpy. We could assume that the guy humming next to us on the bus was off his medication or should be ON some medication. But he easily could be bursting at the seams to shout to the world his amazing news. Of course, he also could be needing that medication...
We don't stop to talk or to listen to people around us who have a story to tell. We don't have time for it since we have to catch up on those status updates from people who aren't even present. We always have some place to go and log our arrival via our favorite social media check-in. We don't stop and learn from others in person. Instead, we learn through status updates from people who exist in the cloud.
Connecting with people means getting unplugged and off any time schedule. Connecting with people means
being present and truly interested in what message they have without wondering what's in it for us - even though we know there always is take-away. Connecting with people through observation, interaction, and reflection is what it's all about.
So although I continue to push myself from here to there, I will take a lesson from my father who had a lot to teach me - to just stop and learn from the Roses.
