Everyone has a story

Living in the Bay Area, I often find myself walking by people rushing to some place or to meet some person. Their only concern is to get past me, and the next person in their way to their destination. Often avoiding eye contact or texting on their phone. We all have things we have to do, many with constraints of time or energy. We often don’t think about what we’re missing in between where we started and where we’re headed.

During the month travelling around the country, this became so apparent as I was out of my element and open to new experiences. In New York, people rushed to taxi cabs, the subway, to the coffee shop. What were their stories? Who are they? Why the car horns?

I am just as guilty of this self-indulged habit. When I have to be somewhere, my attention is very often focused only on getting there in the specified amount of time I’ve allocated. I don’t have time to stop and have a lengthy conversation.

During the less hectic times, I talked with many people of all different types. There was Avory from Japan visiting Chicago who was looking for somewhere that wasn’t Chicago, having exhausted all attractions the previous five days. There was the couple in Burbank who were travelling through southern California and sat waiting in line for the Tonight Show. Not to mention the number of AYCJers and flight attendants that were constantly on the move, all with their own stories.

There were also the countless people working in the tourist information kiosks, driving the shuttles and buses, checking guests into the hotels, guarding the gates at baseball parks, and serving lunch and dinner at the restaurants. A simple hello and you had a conversation started! They had fascinating stories they were all more than willing to share with a complete stranger.

In Denver, there was the group of people who got together for a fitness routine regularly in the late afternoon. Nearby, the information guide watched as he waited for a tourist in need of information. When I asked him why they gathered in the middle of the terrace, he was just as clueless. “They just show up. Anybody can join. They’ve been doing it for a while now.”

I discovered that the people I pass by everyday and pay no attention to, do have stories to tell. At the right time, you can get more than youbargainedfor. And the best stories come from those who are sitting around doing the least. Next time, say hello, and learn something new.