have a meaningful conversation with a stranger

I try really hard to have conversations with strangers and feel like I am pretty successful. The problem however, is that none of the conversations I have are at all meaningful. I just want to feel like their is someone else in the world that I can connect with and so far my search has left me with a feeling of disappointment. I will not let this discourage me and will try even harder to have a meaningful conversation with a stranger. Also, while I may not feel like the conversation is meaningful I like to think that by at least trying I make that person feel happy, if even just for a moment.

i met a girl at a camp and one night there was really nothing fun going on so we just went outside and started to talk….well we talked for a long while (until councilers made us leave) and she told me about her childhood and the problems she had. She said i was only the 2nd person she had ever told. we both ended up crying. it was totally worth it:)

the man I bought my car from. I was looking for a used car, he had an advertisment in the paper and I was the first to call. He was in Montreal and was not able to show me the car until friday. (it was Wednesday) He found out that I was from Montreal and he was up there visiting his girlfriend so perhaps he was biased upon making me the new owner of his car.

He met me on his way home to Stowe. I found out that he was moving to Belgium on Monday and that is the reason he was selling the car. I met him , saw the car and decided to purchase it, there was a large snowstorm predicted for teh next day so I offered to just drive him home and keep the car, this way theere would be no need to try and meet up the next day for the exchange. He agreed. Seeing that we met at a parking lot not far frommy house, I just hopped in and away we went.

It was midnight, it was dark and cold. I don’t know why our conversation took on such a personal nature but it did right from the beginning. I spoke about living overseas, he spoke about his heritage, and somehow during that one hour ride home we delved into some very personal thoughts and feelings. We spoke about divorce, relationships, communication, war, nationality, love, parents. We felt a deep connection on many levels. We both felt very comfortable opening up and sharing our feelings about our past and some of the issues that haunts us. We were both so open and vulnerable with our words and feelings. I left him at his house, he emptied the trunk, the snow was beginning to fall slowly with big snowflakes, the air crisp and quiet at 1:00 am. We left each other with a traditinal montreal two cheeked kissed and exchanging email addresses. I learned a lot about this man in a avery short time and he about me. It was meaningful and memorable. We emailed once each way, thanks for the great conversation, insurance on the car all taken care of, good luck, farewell!

Memorable! So very memorable!

I speak to strangers quite a lot. I remember this one guy I got chatting to and he told me about his belief in god and world religions. I had been confused about my own beliefs for a while before I met him and the conversation really got me thinking again.

Its oddly comforting when meeting a total stranger and finding out that you have something in common.

I met an old lady on a train once and she told me her whole life story, and some of the things she regreted not having done.

Some of my most inspiring moments have come from talking with strangers.

After volunteering at a homeless shelter, my friends and I were leaving when we met a man outside, waiting for a meal. We said hello and began to talk. A homeless man himself, he carried a schematic plan with him at all times that he hoped would eradicate poverty worldwide. He explained the plan in a way that was incoherent and confusing, pointing out numbers and pictures on his paper to help illustrate each point he made. To me and my friends, the plan seemed unattainable and ridiculous. We didn’t even know what the plan WAS, we just knew that this man was passionate and convinced that it would work.
After talking to the man, I felt a sense of happiness. He couldn’t afford his own dinner, yet he spent hos own time and effort on a plan to help others in his situation. If everyone were as empathetic and caring as he was, poverty really could be eradicated.

It’s also nice that I journal a lot, because journaling helps me to “collect” these conversations with strangers. Sometimes they’re short, sometimes I surprise myself—maybe I define “meaningful” differently than you (or maybe I don’t), but I love these.

but if nothing else, I have done this over the internet. Because of the anonymity you can break down barriers faster than usual.

I also remember once I was staying in this backpackers, I went downstairs to the tv room to watch dr who and got talking to this girl, I was still there several hours later. We talked about so many different things, and discovered we both knew people who went to this party where a girl had plotted to kill her boyfriend and they were witnesses in the trial.