Coversations with Strangers

What a Dream

2010-11-16T21:36:00.000-08:00

I attended a company event last week and met the most wonderful, positive person. We got to talking about where we lived and our neighborhoods and how we both really enjoyed the aspect of living in small towns. His description of his neighborhood, wife and kids, home and life was that it was 'a dream'.
How wonderful for this guy that he was living a life that he LOVED. And I'm not just assuming that he lived a life he loved - you could tell he truly loved his life.

How many people do you know that can describe their life like that? Those who know me know my love for Oprah and she's always talking about living your best life. This guy I believe truly was doing just that - living HIS best life. And ultimately -that's who we're living for right? We're living for ourselves. So why do so many people live a life doing things that don't bring them joy? They work in jobs they're unhappy in. They partner with people who don't make them happy. They go to university just to make their parents happy.

Is being happy and discovering joy for yourself really THAT bad of an outcome?! Why would anyone deny themselves that happiness? I recently read a book that suggests making a list of all the things you LOVE in life. Just acknowledge everything you find yourself saying that you love - write it down. I can't even describe the joy this list brings me. Newest addition to my list:
1. Starbucks at Christmas time
2. The Big Dipper
Both just make me happy. No reason. Don't need one - it's just on the list.

Conversations with Birds

2010-10-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

So recently I was in Maui on vacation and me and my girlfriend were out shopping. As we were walking down the street we came across bird dude. Pretty sure he had a name but even if he told us I was so mesmerized by everything else going on around us I wouldn't have remembered it.
Dude's there with like 8 birds and a camera. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt (that I'm pretty sure he resurrected from the Tom Selleck archives) and he also had a mustache. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the mustache, it's just not a trend that you see that often anymore so I find that it made him 'unique'. Also he was quite thin - I'm sure he ate like a bird! Okay - bad joke.
Based on what we were encountering here - of course we stop to chat.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and drop a general stereotype that all bird people are weird - I know it's not nice to generalize but c'mon. Anyone who OWNS more than one bird and makes his living with these birds is just not what we would call normal.
He was very soft spoken. Oddly soft spoken. He kinda spoke in whispers and I was getting the feeling that he was going to break into Shakespeare at any given moment. I believe he did this as to not alarm the birds but he was kinda creeping me out.

So he's got an album FULL of people who have had their 'professional' photos taken with these birds. And like they weren't weird people - they were real people and CHILDREN - with birds.

So anyways, of course we end up agreeing to have our photo taken because the whole situation is quite ridiculous so how could we not?! He kept telling me to just relax, be at ease.........whisper whisper......just smile and look like I'm having a good time.
The first bird he 'arranges' on us he puts in my hands. Immediately my ass begins to sweat because I am so nervous that the bird is going to turn on me and rip my face off - worst case scenario. So what does the bird do? Rolls to the side and starts chewing on my hand! I'm pretty sure I blacked out after that because I really don't remember much. What I do remember is birds squawking.... whisper whisper, 'look over here AJ'..... birds squawking....whisper whisper......'Charles you be quiet and look at the camera.'....and then 'okay, you're all done'.

Luckily we don't have to go off of my graphic description of this encounter because we purchased the 5x7's to frame in our homes. We kinda thought the postcards were a bit cheesy.

If this isn't paradise - what is?!

Intro to Conversations with Strangers

2010-10-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people come into our lives and leave them having changed us completely - and the strangest thing is that sometimes those people come and go and you never even know their name.

I've been thinking about getting back to writing again and wanted to put some serious thought into something to write about. I don't know if this happens to anyone else but I find that I'll be in a situation (by myself) and having a conversation with someone and saying to myself 'Am I seriously being punk'd right now?! Is this seriously happening to me and no one is here to see this?!' You've all been in a situation like this. You know - where the person beside you on public transit thinks that this is the perfect venue to rehearse their Canadian Idol audition?
And other times, I'll have a conversation with a stranger on an airplane and find that they've actually enlightened me more than I would have ever expected!

I've been told that I always meet the most interesting people or have the craziest stories. I really don't meet anyone out of the ordinary than anyone else meets in a chance meeting - my account of my experience is sometimes just a little more colourful:)

So.....this is my account of how it happened........