The other day I stopped at the corner grocery store to get some deli meat and cheese. While I was waiting for them to prepare my sandwich fare, I grabbed a cold beer and put it on the counter. A gentleman came up to buy his items and my beer sort of got mixed in with his stuff. I quickly grabbed the beer and said
“oh, the beer is mine”. This sweet man says “Oh, I’ll buy that beer for you, don’t worry about it!”
How kind is that? He was from London, Ontario and we ended up having a good ‘ole chat about what we do with ourselves when we are not on vacation. Turns out he owns nursing homes in Ontario, and he had valuable information for me on a little project that I have been mulling around in my head. And he is so excited to read “Be That Girl!”. I am taking a copy to him today. In less than 5 minutes, we shared a tonne of information with each other and I thoroughly enjoyed waiting for my lunchmeat.
Every person you meet has information for you, or you have information for them. You have got to be daring enough to talk to strangers, in spite of what our parents taught us as children. It still amazes me how quickly my children make connections with other children. Kids are like magnets to each other and it is as if they know innately that if they hang out together the fun will be multiplied. Yesterday, we met a family with 3 girls also at the beach. The connection between those girls and my girls was instantaneous, and meeting them ended up being a highlight of my girls day. I have included a picture of the little darlings.
Us adults could really learn from this. We need to get out there and start talking to new people. Get connected, get information, share information, and reap the rewards that your network will give you.
Today, I am on a mission to pay my free beer forward to someone new. I wonder who I will meet, and what I will learn. How exciting!
Have a wonderful weekend.