Talking to Strangers
Posted on June 14, 2018 by Julia James, One of Thousands of Entrepreneurship Coaches on Noomii.
Meaningful interactions with others through conversation.
As a coach, I have the privilege of listening to clients’ vulnerabilities, fears and dreams. I listen to their stories. Stories that sometimes take my breath away. How many conversations like this do we have in everyday encounters with strangers, or even with people we know well?
I decided to experiment. As I happened to be traveling lately, my unsuspecting strangers were Lyft drivers. I sat up front and we started talking. I heard about game show prize winnings, trips of a lifetime, loneliness, basketball in Brazil and grief over dogs who had died. One driver had several disabilities and had to turn his head to hear me. He works two jobs, has strong political opinions, watches Asian news daily, and loves to laugh. We talked about our common situation of living in a country where neither of us were born. He told me, wistfully, that passengers often sit silently in the back seat. When we parted ways, he yelled, “This was so much fun!” And it was.
We all long to have someone really hear us. Talk to strangers. About meaningful stuff. See what happens.
