Stranger things waiting to be loved

The art of small talk

#hustler #grinder #guerillatroop

Hi there,

I looooooooove small talk. It’s the only way I know to get to the big talk, and the big talk says, if you listen carefully, intently, it says, you are not alone.

Five things to share:

1. When I lived in the Midwest, crushing me with its steadiness, uniformity and predictability, I once complained to an older Midwesterner gentleman that people stared at me in certain establishments, certain spaces and places, because I didn’t belong. My appearance gave me away long before I could make a case for myself, before I could protest, I don’t want to belong here, I want to go home. Despite myself, despite my grown-up status, I was whiney and exasperated as I hurled accusations at this foreign land I accidentally found myself trapped inside. He responded— And to this day his response fills me with so much delight and gratitude— He said carefully, playfully, “What if they stare because you’re hot?” I was startled, What!? And maybe it was because I was in so much emotional turmoil, desperate to believe in anything, to hold onto something to get through another day that I just looked at him funny and he smirked and I didn’t protest, and I never looked back. Whenever I go somewhere now where I feel out of place, out of pace, before I assume the worst, before accusing the Other of the worst, I think, maybe, just maybe they stare at me, if they stare at all, because I’m hot. What difference does the truth make? It has set me free to freely roam the world, and to my surprise, to my delight, I’m mostly surrounded by strangers waiting to be loved.

2. Post title stolen from Solitude: A Singular Life in a Crowded World

3. A quote I want to share with you:

   “Reddit is alright. You can get a wealth of information from it. But you can’t get an ounce of experience of life from it.”

   — Old text from someone I used to love

   Or,

   "Stop paying so much attention to what everyone else is doing and run your own race. How much time is spent reading other people's posts on social media, watching other people's exploits in the news, listening to other people's ideas on podcasts? Go have coffee with a friend. Go make something. Go outside. All those hours spent looking at someone else's life on a screen could be used to take action in your own life."

   — James Clear (Source)

4. THE ART OF SMALL TALK

   Why is it that we receive so little training to help us hone conversation skills when we rely on this ability every day of our lives, in so many situations?

5. A question for you:

Source

P.s.

Nothing you’d waste time to scroll and watch on social media

That’s all for this week!

Thank you for reading, and share with anyone you think may benefit.

time spent offline is now a monthly analog publication you can get delivered straight to your mailbox with 20 ideas every month.

Until next time,

Mehret