The Attraction of Interaction

Earlier today I ran to the grocery store to pick up a few things. After grabbing what I needed in order to make spaghetti for dinner tonight, I tripped on my shoe and fell flat on the floor. Needless to the say, I was quite embarrassed at how clumsy I had been. However, while attempting to pick myself up off the ground, a few people whom I have never met, let alone seen, before in my life came over to help me out. It was then, while sprawled on the floor with a dented can of tomato sauce next to me, when I realized the true nature of human interaction. Ever since that moment today, I have been enthralled with how much we interact with not only our friends but also with people we happen to talk to for a mere minute out of our lives. I am a huge Red Sox fan and whenever I see someone with Red Sox shirt or hat on, I comment and for just that one second, we both smile at each other and are somehow connected. Think about how many people you have actually interacted with before: That old couple who needed help bringing some shopping bags to their car, that lady who made the humorous remark while the two of were waiting in a large line at Macy's the day before Christmas, the gentleman you sat next to on the plane ride who let you have his pretzels because he wasn't hungry. None of these citizens had any true impact on your life - unless, like the movies, this person happened to teach you a life lesson that you've remembered through the years. You simply had a swift conversation with them and moved on with your lives. There was one girl I always used to see in the halls at school but I had never talked to her. When I got my first job at Panera Bread, she happened to work there and we became quick friends based on the fact that we made eye contact with each other five times a week. Our founding fathers had a cynical view of human nature, believing that we were all self-interested. However, through experience, I know that most people in the culture I have dealt with enjoy receiving a smile from the random kid in the street or liked the conversation with the Starbucks employee while waiting for a cup of coffee. If we all truly reach out, I'm sure we could make this world, this nation, or even just your household a lot happier. I was once taught that giving out five compliments a day can make you a happier person... and it's true! So if you see someone in the store who has that new Coach pursethat you've been dying to get, strike up a conversation. Sure, it might feel weird or awkward, but I can assure that this one interaction with a complete stranger can leave you feeling even the tiniest bit happier afterward. Don't feel afraid to speak up when you feel something. The basis of most problems is poor communication and maybe that's the problem with society today. And I'm not telling you to go out and act like generations ago by giving flowers to cops and whatnot. Just reach out to someone; it might just make their day and it could definitely give way to a brighter future. Heck, I wrote this entire blog because a few strangers offered to pick up a box of spaghetti for me.
Carl Jung once stated, "The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed."
:)