There Are My Friends
Meeting New People widens our circle
There are My Friends
“There’s my friends! My friends are here!”, Amaya said as she ran to the playground after we got her out of her car seat.
Does she know those people? I thought. My husband and I told our youngest grandchild to stop and take her sister’s hand to walk to the play area. The went directly to where the other kids were; a lady was there with them. That lady doesn’t want our kids over there! I assumed internally.
As I walked at a distance, I watched as Amaya approached one of the girls and said, “I’m Amaya. What’s your name?”. What looked to be the youngest of the two girls told Amaya her name then off they went to play on the slide. These other girls were also at the park with their grandparent, who smiled as the two laughed and played together like old friends. I enjoyed the innocent fun they were having with each other.
Watching the children play and interact, I felt sad that my initial instinct was to stop her from being open to meet a new person; assuming harm would come to her. I know it’s not always wise for children to run up to strange children; I agree with safety. But I admired her innocent openness to receive someone her size as a friend.
After close to an hour of playing, Amaya’s friends had to leave. The crying began. “I don’t want them to go!”, is all I kept hearing our fearless toddler say. The two playmates hugged and said their goodbyes like they’ve known each other for years. As our two grands begin playing again, another duo the same ages came to the playground. They all played, talked about school, shared turns on the rides and laugher returned.
It was a teachable moment for me. As adults, how often do we practice being intentional in meeting someone, starting a conversation and enjoy the exchange? Depending on what is happening around us or what is happening in society, that can impact our response. We may assume harm and attempt to resist it, we put our guard up and move on.
Meeting new people who we may consider a stranger is necessary for our growth. When we meet people if we just be ourselves and chill in conversation with someone we don’t know, something magical can happen; we can learn about ourselves, our neighbors and the world. Sharing can bring understanding and tear down assumptions or old myths.
My granddaughter taught me a lesson that day. I believe I can listen to my gut and know when I can approach someone as a “friend” and not someone out to get me.
I am an introvert who can function as an extrovert. My career as a hospitality professional is credited to teaching me how to reach out and meet people. Throughout my career, I’ve attended social events with the sole intention of meeting and finding new clients. That skill was beneficial when I moved to a new city.
Last year, I was in a fabric store admiring some Christmas fabric with a crazy design. As I grabbed the bolt of fabric to take to the cutting table, I heard someone say, “What do you plan to make with that?” A lady was there standing next to me holding her own finds. I told her about my aprons which led to 30 minutes of conversation about sewing, laughter and sharing pictures of craft projects. I had the urge to give her my number in case she wanted an apron, I told myself, but I resisted. Looking back, I wish I had exchanged social media contact information to share crafting and sewing ideas.
Next time I encounter a fabric store situation, I hope I can remember my granddaughter and be open to simple conversation with expectation of widening my mind and maybe even my circle.
