Day 52

Lots of chatter at the center yesterday. Harold gave me two gifts because I’m the only person who has been nice to him. All I did was remember his name and comment on his nice jacket. Little things can have meaning. I encouraged Tracy to talk about her mother’s terrible situation.  I am a connector, a sympathizer, an acknowledger, an appreciator, and a safe place for sharing confidences. Today I’ll go off for another social walk and opportunity for casual and meaningful connections.

One of my collective journey friends posted this prompt: Every day for 100 days write something you like about yourself.

Day one and possibly the only day!

I prize my ability and my willingness to connect with others on many levels from a smile and hi to a wave to a driver who stopped for me, to deep conversations at the vegetable counter. This morning on my walk I did all the above plus catching up with an old friend who recently retired. We talked about volunteering and I enjoyed reconnecting. I am willing to initiate contact, I freely give appreciation as to the man who let me in front of him as I only had two items, to anyone who seems to need a hello, you look nice. I'm a very social being and I'm glad to show it. I wasn’t always good at small talk. It used to make me feel socially awkward so I avoided the kinds of social gatherings that required it. When I volunteered at the blood bank my job to keep people there for 15 minutes, give them juice and cookies and keep an eye on them for any symptoms of problems. It was there that I learned that small talk can lead to meaningful conversation with complete strangers. I came to enjoy the use of small talk.