Vacation Friendly - SOL, March 25

Anyone who knows me well would agree that I am not a particularly outgoing person in large, social crowd situations or with new people.  In small groups or with close friends,  I can talk a mile a minute, oftentimes sharing too much.  But in larger groups or with new people, I tend to hold back, observe the different conversations, and figure out where I might best insert myself.

That reserved nature has been thrown out the window this week.  I have initiated conversations with more strangers than I can ever remember.

I met an older lady walking down the breezeway on the floor of our condo unit.  We engaged in a 5 minute conversation about how she was walking the different halls of our 5-story facility as opposed to the beach where the wind was blowing fiercely.  We talked about where we came from (Ohio and Minnesota respectively) and the importance of walking on a daily basis.

I have had several elevator conversations, something I normally avoid at all costs.  I have discovered where people live (many of them were from Canada), how long they have been down here (1 month is the average), what the weather has been like back home (for the Canadians, anywhere from 1 - 4 feet of snow await them), and what restaurants they might recommend.

At the pool, I ran into the same lady three days in a row.  We have become the best of friends, discussing how cold is too cold to be sitting by the pool, sharing titles of books we are reading, and talking about where our homes are.

So what's with this new chatty Karen - this person who is conversing with so many strangers?  I'm not sure, but I think it might be related to how relaxed I am feeling this week; it seems to have taken out a layer of inhibitions I might normally have had.  I am enjoying the ability to be open to new experiences and people when I have the "room" in my brain to take it all in.

And it's been a blast!

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