I spent most of Saturday getting sunburned while poolside.  Takes me back to when every summer day was spent poolside.  Ah, to be 16 again…

Anyway, it was fairly crowded. I was enjoying myself in the sun, texting, writing, laughing, having a grand time knowing I had nowhere else to be for the rest of the day and loving every minute of it. 

The fellow sunning next to me spoke up:

“What kind of phone is that?”

“An iPhone.”

“Well mine must be broken.  It doesn't make me laugh nearly as much as yours does.”

Clever

I knew right from the start that I was not interested in seeing this guy outside of the pool gates, but he started the conversation in a witty way so I continued to talk to him and we talked for an hour or so.

Besides, it's not like the minute I make a change in my life I meet the person that's gonna sweep me off my feet and we ride into the sunset.  If that was the case I wouldn't have spent the last almost-3 years being mostly single.  I've realized that if I'm not willing to talk to people, how can I expect them to talk to me?

So over the past week I've made an effort to be more open.  

I went to a sit down lunch by myself for the first time.  Loved it.  

I went to happy hour by myself. Enjoyed a conversation with a nice man. 

I made eye contact with the guy across the restaurant. He has my number.  And he called.

I talked to the girl on trax who was studying Japanese.

I've talked to a handful of new people this week and while none of them are necessarily my new best friend, my frog prince, or the business person who will recognize my incredible talents and give me the job of my dreams, the conversations were all enjoyable.  Talking to strangers has been fun and not scary.  Who knew?

And, given that the experiences were all painless (except for the sunburn that now runs from my neck to my ankles) I'll continue to put myself in a position to talk to people. Because while I'm not good at small chit chat and getting to know people, I've learned it's a skill that can be acquired.  And it's already getting easier.