I am fascinated by people, all sorts of people.
I have friends who are passionate about nature, food, art, gardening, knitting, sewing..
Me? I am fascinated by people.
When I was a young teenager I was quite reserved. I was not necessarily shy, but I was not outgoing, and would feel quite uncomfortable and embarrassed approaching strangers, for any reason. One day, when I was fourteen or fifteen, a young lady we didn't know approached my mom in a public place, only to tell her how much she liked her haircut. It's not like that was a big deal, I know that, but at the time it was a big deal to me. I realized I wanted to be that girl. I realized it was beautiful to just connect to another human being in a positive way, even if it was only for a compliment. What happened next, in the subsequent 3-4 years, sealed the deal for me. My mom got sick, and eventually died. And that changed everything for me.
My priorities changed and what was important up until then moved to the back burner. Good results in school didn't appeal to me anymore. What was unquestionably important was connecting with people. And what was only a desire a few years before, became my new me. I became that girl that is not embarrassed to approach someone on the street and tell them I like their hair.
Not being afraid of connecting with people has rewarded me with irreplaceable friends. Friends, and several of them, who have been by my side, through my pretty and through my ugly, for decades.
Not all connections have been that good, some have been weird, and some have been short lived, but they all have contributed to my current me. They created me. And keep on creating me.
Social media (facebook in particular) has increased my fascination with people.. and it has also made me realize that there are a ton of weirdos out there. At the same time, I have been enriched by the interaction with most, if not all, my facebook friends, of which some are in-real-life friends, some are just virtual friends, and some were virtual friends who turned into in-real-life friends. And that interaction is continually evolving, with people always coming into my life. Just yesterday I had a very nice conversation with a lady I have met (although not in person) through my facebook contacts. It was very interesting talking to her and finding some significant common ground. Our background, culture, experiences, life altogether have been immensely different, and - still - our lives touched at a time when we were able to connect and understand something very primal of each other. Maybe it's just a generational or a gender related thing, because I've noticed this happening more than I would have expected around me, and that would be worth a whole post of its own. Either way, every time I do connect with someone it amazes me, and I find it absolutely beautiful.
Yesterday's conversation kept popping into my head at different times during the day, so much so that it made me want to write about virtual and non-virtual friends on my blog.
So, here I am.
I don't look for lessons in every single aspect of my life, I just try to live it to the best of my ability. But if I could pass on a bit of, let's say, wisdom, it would be,
Keep an eye, an ear, and a heart open to people who cross your path, you won't regret it, even if they end up having a negative impact in your life. Even then, you can learn something about you, what you want and don't want, and who You ultimately want to be.
Yes, I firmly believe that others make you who you are.