When You Talk to People, the World Gets Smaller

I’ve written before about my wife and I sitting at the bar when we go out, so we get the opportunity to meet and talk to new people. Connecting with others is vital for our well-being as humans, and it almost always provides a good story. The instance that inspired this post occurred on our recent trip to the Keys while at Florida Keys Brewing - https://floridakeysbrewingco.com/ - during one of many lazy afternoons.

We were sitting in the beer garden when two couples at the table near us started discussing why one had bought a couple of six packs to go when they already had a cooler full of beer and were headed to Key West. Overhearing this and not being shy, we offered to help them lighten their load of beer – being the team players that we are. This started what turned out to be an amazing conversation that shrank the world for all of us.

During the normal opening chit-chat, we learned that they were also from NJ. Nothing big there as we always meet NJ people when we travel. When we started talking about where we lived, the wife of the first couple mentioned my hometown. Turns out we grew up in the same town and she was a year behind me at the same high school. Her husband went to one of our close rival schools. Quite the coincidence to meet someone in the Keys from my hometown and a year behind me in same school. But wait, it gets better.

Looking at my card (as a retirement lifestyle writer)) and curious about my blog, the husband of the other couple asked where I had worked. When I told him, he asked me if I knew a friend of his. I get this a lot and with well over 60,000 employees and locations worldwide, the answer 99% of the time is “no”. This time however, it turned out to be a guy who I worked closely with and played hockey with for many years – and he was this gentleman’s best friend! We were all taken aback by the double coincidental connections. One was freaky enough but a close connection to both couples was a first for all of us. We’re looking forward to getting together with them back in NJ as they both live in nearby towns.

Back at the property we stay at, we connected with yet another couple from NJ, from another nearby town where I cycle frequently and visit their local brewery - https://www.highrailbrewing.com/. We also met two couples from the Cleveland area during our stay. All 3 of those couples along with a few others we spoke with will be down there next year same time. We’re hoping to get together with the NJ folks before then and we look forward to seeing them and the others back at the tiki bar. It’s always more fun hanging out with other people, especially year after year.

Vacations, breweries, and bars aren’t the only places we experience the “it’s a small world” feeling. At a hockey game at the Prudential Center with our nephew last month (NJ Devils won in OT) I overheard the woman behind us talking about being asked where she lived and that when she named her town she was asked “town or county”. Recognizing that dialogue from my own experience I turned and asked if she was from Middlesex. She looked surprised and said “yes”. My nephew and I looked at each other and laughed then told here that’s where we live and we often get that same response (a pet peeve of mine – to which I respond, “when I ask you where you live do you tell me town or county?”). Talking about the town it turned out that she lives a block from our nephew. What are the odds of that connection at a sold- out arena? OK, it’s the Devils so even though they are having a great year, they rarely sell-out.

Two other quick examples did happen at bars. The first at a bar/brewery in another NJ town. The only other couple at the bar turned out to be from our town and are regulars at our local brewery. We hadn’t run into them there yet, so this was our first meeting. The second was in Lake George when I struck up a conversation with the guy sitting next to me. Turned out he was from a yet another nearby town in NJ.

All these little anecdotes illustrate what can happen when you reach out and meet new people. Even if it means getting out of your comfort zone, take the time to interact with others. You just might be pleasantly surprised by the people you meet and the connectivity you share. It’ll give you stories to tell, you’ll have more fun, and expand your world – and in some cases see just how small it really is.

www.RetiredandInspiredat55.com 3-13-2023