What do you do when you meet a stranger? Do you try to speak with them in some way, even if it is just with your eyes or your smile?
Did you ever actually meet a stranger, such as upon seeing them realize you must know this person? How did the turn out for you?
© 2026 – SoulSequel
4 responses to “Do you ever meet a stranger?”
all of my friends were first strangers
i guess that is not a surprise :D but the people i meet, i meet them because i was friendly with a stranger, and a stranger was friendly with me.
you know me and bus riding. sometimes you ride the same bus the same route every day, you start to make friends. one of my good friends in my twenties was a young woman who i shared bus riding with. we talked about books. we were in touch for years!
most of the people i meet now are other moms, parents. we share common ground because our children are in activities together, we start to recognize each other around the community. we start to sit together, they move over, open a space on their bench, make room. i talk to the other moms on the outskirts of the yard, who arent in groups. or at work. super high turn over rate at work, sometimes i recognize a person im sure i know from the community, or a family member of a resident who i recognize from a class. im friendly and open but also private. that makes interacting with strangers interesting to say the least.
i prefer smiles with strangers to looking at the ground, but i am also not so much keen to be around the people lately. being friendly with service staff, cashiers, etc, is my way of being a friendly person. talking to them like we are old friends…
Most of the time. It’s only when I’m very tired or very stressed that I shut off to those around me.
Some of the people “I just had to know”, have turned into close lifelong friends. Some have turned into casual acquaintances. And some were just one-time events where we have never seen each other again; but in that one encounter each has left a positive lifetime influence on the other.
Social skills came to me relatively late in life. I can recall very specific experiences that I witnessed that appeared so strange to my underdeveloped perspective on interacting with strangers.
One was the very simple act of saying good morning. So simple and yet I am amazed by how often a person seems caught off guard when it is said with genuine sincerity.
Another is smiling and making eye contact. I had a boss and as I walked with him I used to notice the response that he received as he walked along. I had never noticed similar happy triggers, so I started purposefully smiling at specific people as I walked along and noticed the responses. Now, it seems so automatic that when a person smiles at me as I walk along that I know I must be just smiling. I read somewhere that turning up the corners of your mouth triggers happy hormones and I even do it in the car by myself. I figure I am triggering good chemicals and it actually works.
I have zero trepidation with talking to strangers. It’s a part of my job and it’s just a part of my life. I love meeting new people, but suffering from a very rapid judgemental attitude, I determine very quickly whether or not I want to pursue a more meaningful relationship, whatever that may be, or move along to the next potential adventure.
Everyone we know was once a stranger to us. Every one of my friends was a stranger, at one time. We meet and there is a connection. I see the qualities in this person first. There are some strangers that I simply must say something nice to. There was a man at a community party we went to on Saturday. He was big as a bear and wore a black t-shirt that had Abe Lincoln in really nice glasses on the shirt. Immortal Pirate smiled at the man first and said, “I like your t-shirt.” The man said, “Thank you.” to Immortal Pirate. It must have been a black/white racial reason why the man walked on. Later, we saw him again and I said, “I just love that t-shirt.” and I was snubbed. Oh well, you smile and your smile gets taken wrong. Had he said something in return, I could have started a friendly conversation with this big black man. He had such loving eyes. I notice the eyes of a person before anything else.
On Saturday, I met a new friend. She passed us with her mate and Immortal Pirate called out her name to get her attention. She was a woman that worked at the prison with Immortal Pirate and he tried to get her to notice him. I tired of hearing Immortal Pirate call her name and she not noticing him. So, I walked up to her. I noticed that her partner/mate was a beautiful woman and the two of them were such a beautiful loving couple. I pointed out to her that Immortal Pirate was calling her. She is a Correctional Officer that used to work with Immortal Pirate. She laughed at the fact that she did not recognize him, at first. He is so much more “furry” than he used to be. With glad hearts and open arms the two old friends embraced. As they talked of old times and how things are at the prison — where she still works — I assessed her beauty. Her short haircut and the way she combed her hair up in front was quite appealing. I am always amazed at how people with a flat top haircut can stand their hair straight up. Then, I see her loving eyes and the positive attitude. She was a beautiful buxom woman. Upon meeting, we hugged and she had such a nice hug. I know that we could be friends. I enjoyed watching the two old friends talk and could see how Immortal Pirate values her as a friend that has shared many experiences together. If she comes to our house for dinner, or socializing, I just know we will be good friends and I will love her partner, as well. Her partner did not come to talk to Immortal Pirate. She was shy and stand-offish. Gays sometimes are. I don’t judge people by what the have in their underwear, or what they do with it. Good friends are nice to have and the more diversity makes life more interesting. I have not met a person here in Arizona that I have not fallen in friendship with. I love people! All colors and shapes and sizes of people. I always look for the good in everybody. I look for those qualities that make them unique and interesting.