I completely agree. I make it a point to know the names of the people I see each day. The security guards at the desk of our office building (conveniently both named Richard), the owner and staff of the wonderful Mexican cafe on my corner, the couple who own the liquor store I get my lottery tickets at (and a fine rosé). The produce stocker at Whole Foods, the new neighbor who just moved in (giving her the names of those in our complex), whoever is helping me on the phone or at a shop so I can thank them by name. It's not hard to extend that courtesy, make that human connection, be kind and polite and remind others to be friendly. Thanks, Karen. xo
Love that! I need to be better with names. You’re so right! And it does have a domino effect. Makes the person on the receiving end want to do the same for others.
You ARE a friend in deed. Thank you for being my friend. And I agree completely -- it is time for all of us to get our friendly back on. The world needs more friends, Thanks for a great reminder -- and to point out how it all contributes to our overall good health.
Hey, Hi there Karen!!! Well for a change your challenge this week is an easy one for me!! I am proud to say that I almost never meet a stranger and maybe sometimes I am too friendly but part of that comes from being from the Midwest. Midwesterners are normally just a little more down to earth. But I learned how to "hug" when I moved to California. Here is a hug for you Karen!
Friendships have different levels, and while I do the things you suggest we do in terms of chatting with people at the grocery store or post office (instead of looking at my phone), and going to community events at the library, for example, these friendly social connections have not translated into deep friendships. By "deep" I mean, the level of friend you could call in the middle of the night when coping with an emergency or breakdown that might feel needy or shameful. I can count on one hand the friends I could call for help that way, which saddens me. How do we translate fun social friends into deep friends? All my deep friends are from my past, our friendships cemented and deepened by shared experiences such as high school or our having babies at the same age. Now I struggle to make deep friendships as an older adult. Runner friends often turn into deep friendships, because of personal conversations shared during runs, but runner friends my age are fewer and farther between than they were when I was younger. I guess the best I can do at this point is host more neighbor get-togethers, which I try to do a couple of times a year. I'm blessed to live in a place where we know and count on our neighbors to help each other; it's not like in an urban setting where neighbors remain anonymous. For that, I'm grateful. Thanks for your post.
Great thoughts! In my experience, the depth of any relationship comes from two things…shared experiences & time. It’s tackling projects or challenges together. Those shared experiences. And, as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized the power of time. Some relationships that I didn’t view as ‘deep’ have become deep & trusted simply due to the passing of time. Maybe it gets harder for us as we age because we (people in general) tend to keep to ourselves & not try new things. (Obviously not something I would say of you - you are quite the adventurer - but most people our age are not out tackling new adventures.)
And of course there are things/challenges that happen in life that bring us together in deeper ways (often tragedy or like you said, neighbors around common interests or challenges). Interesting to think about. Cultivating opportunities to foster those deeper connections. Thanks for sharing!!
I completely agree. I make it a point to know the names of the people I see each day. The security guards at the desk of our office building (conveniently both named Richard), the owner and staff of the wonderful Mexican cafe on my corner, the couple who own the liquor store I get my lottery tickets at (and a fine rosé). The produce stocker at Whole Foods, the new neighbor who just moved in (giving her the names of those in our complex), whoever is helping me on the phone or at a shop so I can thank them by name. It's not hard to extend that courtesy, make that human connection, be kind and polite and remind others to be friendly. Thanks, Karen. xo
Love that! I need to be better with names. You’re so right! And it does have a domino effect. Makes the person on the receiving end want to do the same for others.
You ARE a friend in deed. Thank you for being my friend. And I agree completely -- it is time for all of us to get our friendly back on. The world needs more friends, Thanks for a great reminder -- and to point out how it all contributes to our overall good health.
Thanks for teaching me to be a good friend. 🤗
Hey, Hi there Karen!!! Well for a change your challenge this week is an easy one for me!! I am proud to say that I almost never meet a stranger and maybe sometimes I am too friendly but part of that comes from being from the Midwest. Midwesterners are normally just a little more down to earth. But I learned how to "hug" when I moved to California. Here is a hug for you Karen!
Thanks Barbara! Keep it up!
Friendships have different levels, and while I do the things you suggest we do in terms of chatting with people at the grocery store or post office (instead of looking at my phone), and going to community events at the library, for example, these friendly social connections have not translated into deep friendships. By "deep" I mean, the level of friend you could call in the middle of the night when coping with an emergency or breakdown that might feel needy or shameful. I can count on one hand the friends I could call for help that way, which saddens me. How do we translate fun social friends into deep friends? All my deep friends are from my past, our friendships cemented and deepened by shared experiences such as high school or our having babies at the same age. Now I struggle to make deep friendships as an older adult. Runner friends often turn into deep friendships, because of personal conversations shared during runs, but runner friends my age are fewer and farther between than they were when I was younger. I guess the best I can do at this point is host more neighbor get-togethers, which I try to do a couple of times a year. I'm blessed to live in a place where we know and count on our neighbors to help each other; it's not like in an urban setting where neighbors remain anonymous. For that, I'm grateful. Thanks for your post.
Great thoughts! In my experience, the depth of any relationship comes from two things…shared experiences & time. It’s tackling projects or challenges together. Those shared experiences. And, as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized the power of time. Some relationships that I didn’t view as ‘deep’ have become deep & trusted simply due to the passing of time. Maybe it gets harder for us as we age because we (people in general) tend to keep to ourselves & not try new things. (Obviously not something I would say of you - you are quite the adventurer - but most people our age are not out tackling new adventures.)
And of course there are things/challenges that happen in life that bring us together in deeper ways (often tragedy or like you said, neighbors around common interests or challenges). Interesting to think about. Cultivating opportunities to foster those deeper connections. Thanks for sharing!!
Challenge excepted! I think I’m pretty friendly, but I’m going to be extra friendly and watch how people respond. Should be fun!
Great newsletter as always! I’m glad you included your new Instagram handle. I didn’t realize I wasn’t following it!
Excited to dive in! :))
Yay! Keep me posted on how it goes! 🤗
I will! :))
Didn’t know there was a ❤️ button at the bottom!