October was a big month. I decided to take my introvert self on an adventure into the world of extroversion and intentionally talk to people.
The goal was to meet (at least) one new person per day. Rules were as follows:
1. I had to learn their name.
2. They had to learn mine.
3. I could not have met them before.
4. I couldn't tell them about my goal as an excuse to talk to them. To them, it was a regular encounter with a stranger.
How did it go, you ask?
Oct. 1: Benjamin. Soon-to-be pro genealogist who lived in Louisiana once upon a time.
Oct. 2: Dan. Personal chef. Brazilian accent.
Oct. 3: Hilary. The best meal she's ever eaten in her life was hibachi in Acapulco, Mexico.
Oct. 4: Samantha. Artist. Left-handed. #rightbrained. She said to me, "You're really level-headed. I need that."
Oct. 5: Elder Deakins and Elder Reed. Because you can never meet just one missionary. They were top notch.
Oct. 6: Taylor. Asian, but fluent in Spanish. Plot twist.
Oct. 7: Dalton. Last semester at BYU, studying exercise science. Applying to med school in the spring. No plot twist.
Oct. 8: Brad. Introduced me to permethrin. Apparently it's good for killing cockroaches.
Oct. 9: Angela. I met her at like 5:07 a.m. so she's automatically a cut above the rest.
Oct. 10: Eric. I asked him if he was this girl's dad...turns out he was this girl's brother...#regrets.
Oct. 11: RoseAnn. Special K bar from Village Baker comes highly recommended by her. I have yet to verify.
Oct. 12: David. One of the few I actually shook hands with this month.
Oct. 13: .....
Oct. 14: Kat. Works at Petsmart and loves animals. Getting a kitty soon. Fitting.
Oct. 15: Sherry. All about that essential oil life. If Young Living had anything to do with it in the last two decades, she knows about it.
Oct. 16: Amy. I witnessed her first northern Utah hike, her first meal at Cubby's, her first time at the Pioneer Museum, her first session in the Salt Lake Temple, and her first taste of Indian food, and she took it all like a champ.
Oct. 17: Ty. On a scale of 1-10, I'd give his ten key skills an 8.
Oct. 18: Kierra. It turns out we have the exact same taste buds when it comes to smoothies. Also, she plans to name her future child Brittan. Obviously we were meant to be.
Oct. 19: Phillip. French Californian who now lives in Cedar City because IT'S SO DANG BEAUTIFUL.
Oct. 20: Kimmie. Wears amethyst because it's the stone of protection and sobriety and she's going on four years sober. Also, she believed in Santa until she was 15.
Oct. 21: Garrin. Think musical hipster. Complete with trendy glasses.
Oct. 22: Jamey. Currently training for a 10k.
Oct. 23: Isabella. 12 years old. Greeted me with, "Are you a twin to anyone? Because if you are, there are a lot of twins in the world." Of course I immediately created a list of best conversation starters and put that at the top.
Oct. 24: Sister Lane and Sister La Croix. How often do you get to have two sets of missionaries share the same message with you twice in one month?? Clearly, God wants me to share the Book of Mormon with every last one of you.
Oct. 25: .....
Oct. 26: Auntie Clarita. Been working the fruit stand in Oahu for 15 years. She couldn't really handle my name, but it was endearing to see her try so hard.
Oct. 27: Elder and Sister Galloway. My grandpa's brother and his wife, currently serving a mission at BYU-H. She thought I was still in high school, but I won't hold that against her.
Oct. 28: Kathy. She was on the same plane to and from Hawaii, and on the same bench as me at church. She asked if Benjamin and I were twins. When I said no, she said, "Oh, just really close in age?" I took it as a huge compliment.
Oct. 29: Tim. Lives the dream life renting beach equipment to people in Hawaii and giving private kayak tours.
Oct. 30: KP. Stands for Kauila Pele, meaning lightening and lava. Original name: Brad. Claims to have a passion for coffee.
Oct. 31: Gretta. Her favorite kind of apple is honey crisp, but she'll go for fuji if she's not up for the price.
There you have it. 32 people I could introduce you to if we crossed paths, and I did not know any of them before October happened.
About a week and a half into the goal, I told my brother, Brady, what I was doing. He asked, "Are any of them worth knowing again?"
It was a good question, and one I thought about for the rest of the month.
Honestly, this was a hard goal for me. It can be awkward to make conversation with strangers. It can be uncomfortable to offer a compliment or ask a question, or share an insight with someone I hardly know. It is a lot easier to keep to myself, and sometimes that is okay. But sometimes I cross paths with someone who has exactly the suggestion or exactly the experience or exactly the words I needed that day. Or maybe they need exactly what I have. Would life go on if I never talked to them and kept to myself? Yes, and that is just fine. But could life be a little better if I go out of my comfort zone for two seconds and make an unexpected connection? Yes.
For example, I told Hilary I was going to Hawaii this month, and she immediately whipped out all sorts of pictures and suggestions for me. She is the one who told me about Chinaman's Hat. Look what I would have missed out on if I hadn't met her:
Even though I dreaded it a lot of times, I never regretted talking to a stranger after it was over. Usually the interaction left me with a few extra smiles that I would not have experienced otherwise. As far as "knowing again" as Brady asked: I have indeed seen a few of them again, and guess what! Still worth it. Not one of them would I avoid if we crossed paths. In fact, by meeting them the first time I actually expanded my comfort zone. If I was in a room full of strangers, plus one of those people on the list above, I would feel really happy about walking over to them and talking again. I'm excited to see Hilary again and tell her all about my experience on Chinaman's Hat. I would visit Auntie Clarita everyday if I could. I'll see Samantha again tonight, and I'm going to ask her about her current art adventures.
I'm happy to go into November with a few more friends and a few more good memories, thanks to October.
"What a great favor God does to those he places in the company of good people."
-St. Teresa of Avila
The goal was to meet (at least) one new person per day. Rules were as follows:
1. I had to learn their name.
2. They had to learn mine.
3. I could not have met them before.
4. I couldn't tell them about my goal as an excuse to talk to them. To them, it was a regular encounter with a stranger.
How did it go, you ask?
Oct. 1: Benjamin. Soon-to-be pro genealogist who lived in Louisiana once upon a time.
Oct. 2: Dan. Personal chef. Brazilian accent.
Oct. 3: Hilary. The best meal she's ever eaten in her life was hibachi in Acapulco, Mexico.
Oct. 4: Samantha. Artist. Left-handed. #rightbrained. She said to me, "You're really level-headed. I need that."
Oct. 5: Elder Deakins and Elder Reed. Because you can never meet just one missionary. They were top notch.
Oct. 6: Taylor. Asian, but fluent in Spanish. Plot twist.
Oct. 7: Dalton. Last semester at BYU, studying exercise science. Applying to med school in the spring. No plot twist.
Oct. 8: Brad. Introduced me to permethrin. Apparently it's good for killing cockroaches.
Oct. 9: Angela. I met her at like 5:07 a.m. so she's automatically a cut above the rest.
Oct. 10: Eric. I asked him if he was this girl's dad...turns out he was this girl's brother...#regrets.
Oct. 11: RoseAnn. Special K bar from Village Baker comes highly recommended by her. I have yet to verify.
Oct. 12: David. One of the few I actually shook hands with this month.
Oct. 13: .....
Oct. 14: Kat. Works at Petsmart and loves animals. Getting a kitty soon. Fitting.
Oct. 15: Sherry. All about that essential oil life. If Young Living had anything to do with it in the last two decades, she knows about it.
Oct. 16: Amy. I witnessed her first northern Utah hike, her first meal at Cubby's, her first time at the Pioneer Museum, her first session in the Salt Lake Temple, and her first taste of Indian food, and she took it all like a champ.
Oct. 17: Ty. On a scale of 1-10, I'd give his ten key skills an 8.
Oct. 18: Kierra. It turns out we have the exact same taste buds when it comes to smoothies. Also, she plans to name her future child Brittan. Obviously we were meant to be.
Oct. 19: Phillip. French Californian who now lives in Cedar City because IT'S SO DANG BEAUTIFUL.
Oct. 20: Kimmie. Wears amethyst because it's the stone of protection and sobriety and she's going on four years sober. Also, she believed in Santa until she was 15.
Oct. 21: Garrin. Think musical hipster. Complete with trendy glasses.
Oct. 22: Jamey. Currently training for a 10k.
Oct. 23: Isabella. 12 years old. Greeted me with, "Are you a twin to anyone? Because if you are, there are a lot of twins in the world." Of course I immediately created a list of best conversation starters and put that at the top.
Oct. 24: Sister Lane and Sister La Croix. How often do you get to have two sets of missionaries share the same message with you twice in one month?? Clearly, God wants me to share the Book of Mormon with every last one of you.
Oct. 25: .....
Oct. 26: Auntie Clarita. Been working the fruit stand in Oahu for 15 years. She couldn't really handle my name, but it was endearing to see her try so hard.
Oct. 27: Elder and Sister Galloway. My grandpa's brother and his wife, currently serving a mission at BYU-H. She thought I was still in high school, but I won't hold that against her.
Oct. 28: Kathy. She was on the same plane to and from Hawaii, and on the same bench as me at church. She asked if Benjamin and I were twins. When I said no, she said, "Oh, just really close in age?" I took it as a huge compliment.
Oct. 29: Tim. Lives the dream life renting beach equipment to people in Hawaii and giving private kayak tours.
Oct. 30: KP. Stands for Kauila Pele, meaning lightening and lava. Original name: Brad. Claims to have a passion for coffee.
Oct. 31: Gretta. Her favorite kind of apple is honey crisp, but she'll go for fuji if she's not up for the price.
There you have it. 32 people I could introduce you to if we crossed paths, and I did not know any of them before October happened.
About a week and a half into the goal, I told my brother, Brady, what I was doing. He asked, "Are any of them worth knowing again?"
It was a good question, and one I thought about for the rest of the month.
Honestly, this was a hard goal for me. It can be awkward to make conversation with strangers. It can be uncomfortable to offer a compliment or ask a question, or share an insight with someone I hardly know. It is a lot easier to keep to myself, and sometimes that is okay. But sometimes I cross paths with someone who has exactly the suggestion or exactly the experience or exactly the words I needed that day. Or maybe they need exactly what I have. Would life go on if I never talked to them and kept to myself? Yes, and that is just fine. But could life be a little better if I go out of my comfort zone for two seconds and make an unexpected connection? Yes.
For example, I told Hilary I was going to Hawaii this month, and she immediately whipped out all sorts of pictures and suggestions for me. She is the one who told me about Chinaman's Hat. Look what I would have missed out on if I hadn't met her:
 |
| The view from Chinaman's Hat |
Even though I dreaded it a lot of times, I never regretted talking to a stranger after it was over. Usually the interaction left me with a few extra smiles that I would not have experienced otherwise. As far as "knowing again" as Brady asked: I have indeed seen a few of them again, and guess what! Still worth it. Not one of them would I avoid if we crossed paths. In fact, by meeting them the first time I actually expanded my comfort zone. If I was in a room full of strangers, plus one of those people on the list above, I would feel really happy about walking over to them and talking again. I'm excited to see Hilary again and tell her all about my experience on Chinaman's Hat. I would visit Auntie Clarita everyday if I could. I'll see Samantha again tonight, and I'm going to ask her about her current art adventures.
I'm happy to go into November with a few more friends and a few more good memories, thanks to October.
 |
| Auntie Clarita |
"What a great favor God does to those he places in the company of good people."
-St. Teresa of Avila
Brittan I love you daring and adventurous obedient goal oriented spirit. Inspirational for sure. Made me wonder if I even cross paths with 1 new person a day. When I am working I do but the days I stay home not so much. You have given me much to ponder Thank you :)
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