It has never ceased to amaze me on how, we as humans, interact with each other. Some of us find it difficult to cultivate friendships that aren't "forced" by another party. Yet others are able to build lasting friendships from simply saying hello to a stranger while walking in the park alone. My most recent experiences of meeting other individuals, while selling furniture on Craigslist has opened my eyes on human interaction.
Before I was . . . . the age I am now, I had always met people from jobs I was working at, classes I was attending, or through a mutual friend. I wouldn't say that I have always been the sort of person that would strike up a conversation with someone I didn't know at the coffee shop, while I sat there alone with a good book. Recently, I have found meeting new people to be a rather fascinating subject. I have been venturing out a bit more and trying to make connections in locations I typically wouldn't before.
I recall the first time I found myself in a situation all alone. I was twenty four years old and had never travelled much of a distance by myself. So, I decided to fly out to visit a friend. The trip was fascinating to me, and it didn't bother me to have to rely on myself for all my needs. On my return trip home, I was to have a rather lengthy layover at the Detroit, Michigan airport. At the time, I smoked, and with the airport security rules being more strict than ever, passengers didn't leave the airport to have a drag. Instead, you found yourself at the only restaurant that allowed smoking.
I had just gotten off the plane and decided I was hungry, and so stopped off at a little eatery. There was a man eating alone at the table next to mine. He eyed my pack of smokes and asked me if I happened to have a cigarette he could bum from me. I said yes, and then asked him if he was familiar with the designated smoking areas at that airport. We arranged to meet at this restaurant on the other side of the airport; he would save me a seat. The first thoughts that passed through my head were of all the cautionary phrases my Mom had always warned me about in regards to strangers. I decided to take a leap of faith and after finishing my meal, navigated my way to the restaurant. The man was there, as promised, with an empty seat for me next to him. I sat down and offered him a cigarette, and he bought me a drink. Time started slipping away as we talked about the reason for our travels, our friends, families, jobs, interests, and opinions. I had never had that experience before, and it felt so great. I didn't even feel as though there was an element of intimacy, but rather an instant friendship had been forged.
The clock reached the hour of departure for the both of us as we gathered our baggage and headed our separate ways. We wished each other luck on our journey and traveled on. There were no numbers exchanged, no emails to share, just two people sharing a short lasting innocent friendship before moving on to our next task. I didn't tell very many people of my encounter, least of all my Mother. I wasn't ashamed of what I had done. I felt that, as the adult I now was, I could learn to trust my inner instinct on when a situation "feels wrong or right". I had a few people try to tell me that it sounded like he was "only after one thing". They were wrong. They weren't there. He knew of my orientation and that I wouldn't be after his gender. The atmosphere was not of a romantic nature to begin with. He had his life and I had mine. I do feel that this jump started my curiosity of safely meeting strangers.
More recently, I have found myself meeting rather interesting people through the use of Craigslist. My partner and I are buying our first home. The excitement is unexplainable and we have decided to sell off all our furniture and start fresh and new at our new home. We decided to sell the furniture on Craigslist. We have used this website before and the first few times were scary. There have been all the stories of how people were killed because a murderer lured their victim through a posting on the inter net. I still feel there is a certain amount of caution one needs to exercise when conducting any sort of business online. Yet you still can't help but feel a little nervous the first few times you finally give out your address, or enter someones home to view something you may want to buy. Much to my surprise, I found we were meeting some very unique (and I mean that in a good way) people from all different walks of life.
This last round has been even more special than any of the others. While we haven't started hanging out with these people, and may not know who they "really are", the first impression we have been given is nothing short of positive. All I have to say is that I am excited for the first time to really get to know these individuals. I am willing to travel to the less familiar areas of my comfort zones to initiate contact after the sale to further our conversations. This will have to be a post that I continue to update about, to really study what happens and if true friendship can develop from thin air.
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