Reaching Out Becomes Contagious

This week was better than most weeks. I reached out and it became contagious. I found more connections than I have found in the past few months. We are all social creatures. But sometimes we allow the difficulty of being social in 2022 to overcome us and we stop attempting to be social. I’m not talking about parties. I’m not talking about big events. I’m talking about noticing the guy behind you in line at the corner market. I have one item. A box of Rice Krispies. He has one item. A six-pack of “Cool Kidz IPA.” We are waiting to pay for our items. I turn and explain “We are trying to make Rice Krispy treats. He looks down at his six-pack, “I liked this label, so chose this one.” I ask, “Long week?” He says, “Well…yeah. Heading to a bike party. Blowing off some steam.” Then I turn around and walk to the counter and pay for the Rice Krispies.

The reason I wasn’t staring at my phone or just awkwardly standing in silence next to the other guy who lined up behind me was because I was in the habit of talking to people this week. I talked with my therapist on Monday. It helped me see things a bit more clearly. I’m trying to ease my frustrations, trying to let go of certain habits, trying to think differently…and I often fail and fall back on the patterns I’m stuck in.

I had a great talk on Tuesday night with a very close friend. He helps me deal with my life and I try and do the same for him. The next morning, I was invited to a Kindergarten parents coffee talk for 30-minutes on Wednesday morning. The 12 of us commiserated about how…