Stranger Things

I came across a recent article in the Washington Post about the benefits of talking to strangers (paywalled) that cited Nicholas Epley’s book, A Little More Social. When we make small talk at the bus stop or lament the lack of cambozola cheese with a fellow shopper in the dairy aisle, we end up feeling more connected to our community, safer, less stressed, more confident, and better able to tolerate uncertainty. Even exchanging smiles or merely making eye contact can carry many of the same benefits. My next thought was about all the ways I used to encounter strangers that are no longer part of my life: checking out books at the library, buying books, buying clothing, going out to watch a movie, banking, attending writers’ conferences, sitting in the courthouse hallway between cases… Some of the changes have to do with shifts in my life, but most are attributable to the internet. I bank, shop for clothes, buy books, watch movies (albeit very rarely), manage continuing professional…