I hope I never lose the capacity to be delighted by the uniqueness of people. There's a lot of wisdom stored in that old expression "you need to get out more". Which of you has discovered a better way to alleviate stagnation or boredom than spending time in a group of people you've never met? Please share.
Even when a group is aligned by a common interest - like the thirty four guitar players gathered for the week long workshop I just attended - the richness and diversity of the individuals in the group is so energizing. Mind you, there were a few moments when I imagined an alien - or an accountant - eavesdropping on some of my workshop or mealtime conversations and thinking "what a bunch of geeks!". But many of those conversations also revealed another layer or shattered another stereotype. More significantly, each observation I later recorded in my journal about someone I'd just met said as much about me as it did about them.
When did you last spend extended time with people you've never met? What did you learn about yourself?
About Me
- Pat Barton
- My most recent single release - "My True North" - is now available on Bandcamp. Open my profile and click on "audio clip".
This past July, I played in a multi-day Scrabble tournament in the Albany NY area. I totally agree with you that people can be energizing, but you have to discover how to pry off their safety caps. The greatest skill set you can possess is figuring out how to initiate and sustain meaningful conversation. Without it, you may never discover the uniqueness individuals possess. (Excellent blog post title, by the way.)
ReplyDeleteOne memorable conversation that was initiated by me started in an elevator at the tournament. Seth and I continued to talk on our walk to our next destination. We had not previously met, but in fewer than ten minutes we talked about the prevalence of dual careers, lifelong learning, and examples of our children's varied interests as well as our own.
What did I learn about myself? I learned that a lower division player has a lot in common with an expert. It's highly unlikely that I'll ever achieve "Division A" status, but I clearly belong with this strange and fascinating group of people.