talk to strangers

in this day of text messages, email, and ten thousand other ways of communicating, how often do you actually talk to people?  one of the greatest things i learned during my travels last year was that strangers only exist if you let them; by striking up random conversations with people i don't know, i met some of the most interesting people (and they gave me some of the best travel advice!).

since returning to the states, i find that people are less interested in random conversations with strangers.  i also find myself succumbing to the ease of sending an email or a text from my iphone instead of actually dialing someone's number.  thankfully, the daily GOOD's september challenge arrived in my gmail inbox (ironic?) and has helped me reexamine my ways.

this month, they are challenging everyone to "connect with people" and i am on board.  check out the video below to see what all the fuss is about.

my favorite part, "don't just write on someone's facebook page, CALL THEM!" 

as GOOD's senior editor, cord jefferson writes, "the goal is to remind you not only of how tight-knit communities can be, but also how big the world is, and how easy it is to lose track of someone you know and love."  

in this day of excessive internet use, it may seem simple to keep in touch with everyone you have ever known with just the click of your keyboard.  the world's extensive connectivity also can make the world seem so small sometimes; how often do you play "the name game" and find out you and a stranger have a mutual acquaintance?  but when you actually think about it, the world really is an enormous place and how often do you genuinely reconnect with old friends?

so pick up the phone, and give someone an old fashioned phone call, make friends with your neighbor, and send some underrated snail mail. 

:)