Meeting New People

Think about all the people that you know. No, not all at once; just a few. Think about the ones that are closest to you. Except your blood family. Choose a couple of the most important ones and think about how you met them. Choose the  ones who have influenced you as the person that you are, and the choices that you have made in your life.

Perhaps you met them at:

Work
School
Church
Neighbors
A friend's house

Maybe you don't even remember, but more often than not, you met these people in a place you wouldn't normally associate with meeting people, or in a situation you wouldn't have imagined.

Growing up  in  my home town for 23 years, I had quite a base of people that I knew. Everywhere that I went I would see people that I knew and that knew me. Every time I would go to the store I would see someone I knew working, or walking around, and just driving places I was bound to see a familiar face on the road.

No longer. I go to the store now and don't get  a glance from anyone. I don't see people that I know when I go to the park, or stop at the gas station. I definitely took it for granted. I don't know anybody in this town, and I don't know how to meet them. I mean sure, I had 23 years to work on it in my home town and I don't expect to be the most popular guy on the street within two weeks; I think it will take AT LEAST a month.

I have a friend who was selling a small dresser on Craigslist. Last week he got married to the girl who showed up to buy it. Another friend who was running a marathon in place of someone who had registered but was unable to. He is now married to a  girl he met there.

There are no places conducive to just MEETING people who are looking to be met though. You kind of just have to live your life and hope that some good ones pop up. You can't think, "Today I'm going to meet my best friend" and then just go find them. You never know when you are going to meet someone who changes the course of your life and diverts your path in new directions. If that's not one good reason to shower and brush your teeth every day, I don't know what is.