The Talking Challenge

Thanksgiving is coming, and quickly right behind it Black Friday.  Though who knows what the Black Friday sales will exactly be like this year as way too many stores are opening on Thanksgiving Day.

The chaos and the craziness of Black Friday has always been enough to deter me away from shopping, and also reemphasized the need for food storage.

Have you seen what people do for a toy?  Can you imagine if there was some disaster and people were making a run for food?

Yeah, I will stay safely at home.

But anyway, I am getting off-topic.  During this season when we often reflect on what we are grateful for; I have issued a challenge to myself, a happiness challenge of sorts.

But it isn't just finding happiness for myself but spreading it to others.

When I go shopping, I always try and smile at those around me, but I have decided it is not enough.  I have made it a daily goal to really talk with someone every single day.

Now, if I don't even leave the house, I won't count it as a fail that day, but for every day I am out running errands, out in the community, I will make sure I really talk to someone.

This world with all it's conveniences and on-line services (which don't get me wrong I love) have led us to staying in our little spaces more and more.  I am amazed to see people standing at a checkout, not even looking at the cashier.

Now, I know we all have bad days and some days where we just need to get in and out of some place as fast as possible, so this is not meant to be a judging thing, but just a challenge for myself.

It can begin with a hello, or a compliment.  Yesterday it began with the alphabet game.

The kids and I were waiting for my parents to arrive at the airport, sign in tow.

After only a couple minutes of waiting Alex was claiming she was bored.  I told her to play the alphabet game and see how many letters she could find.

She was quickly zipping through the alphabet with the aid of her brother.  The fact that she would skip a letter she couldn't find might have helped too.

She made it to Z, which she didn't find by the way, and declared herself a winner.  The lady next to me, who had been quietly standing there the whole time asked me "did you find a Q, I can't find one?"

"No we didn't, she just skipped it." I replied smiling.

People want to interact, they want to connect, they want to know that others around them see them and acknowledge them as a real person.  Imagine what the world would be like if every person made the effort to reach out to at least one person every single day.

This is why I am taking this challenge, the challenge to talk at least one person every day.

Who would like to take this challenge with me?