Being transient forces to you change the ways in which you interact with people. I don’t get the luxury of feeling shy, or taking time to warm up to somebody as we slowly run through the getting-to-know-you dance. If I take my sweet time in growing friendships, I’ll have left town before we even get around to having a real conversation. So I dive in head first. I rarely bother with concealing any aspects of my psychology if they’re relevant to the conversation. I am candid with my thoughts and beliefs, and I’ve found that others often return my openness.
Somehow, I’ve honed the ability to form a genuine connection with people I’ve just met. It is not at all unheard of for somebody that I’ve only known for an hour or two to inspire, challenge, or enlighten me. This isn’t to suggest that this happens with every single person that I meet. It doesn’t. But it happens reliably enough that I rarely am struck by a feeling of loneliness or isolation. I am often in the company of people I enjoy, and the magic of text messages, gchat, and unlimited long distance keeps older friends readily accessible.
People often comment on how open I am, and I believe that it is an accurate perception. My life has been enriched because of it. I’ve had so many wonderful conversations as a result. I’m consistently impressed by the thoughtfulness, the complexity, and how downright amazing the people I meet are. And were it not for my rather unconventional lifestyle, I wouldn’t have had the chance to learn the value of putting myself out there as simply and honestly as possible.
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Thank you so much for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I thrive on jumping place to place, meeting new person after new person, but after a while, it can seem to be a lonely place. Your roots are always an indescribable source of familiarity, comfort and love. Somewhere the both mix together to form a wonderful interpersonal concoction of intimacy and spontaneity.
:)