Talk, talk, talk
And keep talking.
Not talking to strangers is something we impress upon children, and it's a cautionary measure that has merit. As an adult, I frequently talk to strangers and those talks lead to conversations that most often are a wonderful experience.
Impromptu conversations can elicit so many emotions and can be evocative and insightful. Spontaneity is a good thing; so is speech. There is a time to be heard, and a time to be read. My priority is the former, but supported by the latter.
Before you start chatting up the stranger in your view frustum, a word of warning. If you recognize the non-verbal "I don't want to talk to you" message, but choose to ignore it and pursue a conversation anyway, don't be surprised if at the end of the conversation you are left asking yourself if it was contrived.
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There were three names printed on the clear glass wall in inch-high black letters in a sans serif font. Only one made me pause. Alfred Isiah Blue. My mind clung to that name like a barnacle to the belly of a boat. Only I saw it in royal blue lettering outlined in gold on frosted glass. The name impressed me as strong, resilient, melodic. I probably said it aloud, but since I was alone in the corridor, there was no one to interrupt my musings with "What did you say?"
The name Alfred Isiah Blue became the opening line to what proved to be a delightful conversation with Rachel R. It was Rachel, a friendly woman in her 30s, who told me that to her knowledge Dr. Blue was one of the oldest practicing physicians in the region, and at 80 years old no longer performed surgical procedures, but remained a consulting plastic surgeon. Amazing I thought and verbalized that sentiment.
Rachel shared another tidbit of information about the doctor. It was her belief that 12 years before (which would make it about 2000) the doctor had obtained a law degree. Impressive, and I said so.
sidebarAn Internet search produced no personal details about Dr. Blue, so we rely on Rachel's knowledge of this achievement.
Then, as conversations often do, it shifted. Names were still the central focus, but we left Dr. Blue behind and talked about geneaology, a common interest, and how much we each liked the NBC series, Who Do You Think You Are?.
Rachel said an older sister was the researcher in her family, and that part of her lineage could not be traced because it branched with a marriage line that had no direct blood line. She did indicate, however, that her sister had found a link to John Brown in the family history.
I told Rachel my ancestors had fought in the American Revolution and how proud I was to learn that the first ancestor to land in this country could read and write—remarkable for someone in 1635 who was in service to English aristocracy.
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