Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk
Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk
Today's morning walk: REI Starbucks
Only three days after digging my roots into Denver and all the feels are so overwhelming.
Brand new yoga studios, hilly autumn walks, Snapchats and Instagram posts, phone calls to loved ones, awkward touristy moments, fascinating conversations with strangers, coffee house after coffee house after coffee house...
I want to tell you guys about EVERYTHING.
There is so much magic that comes from doing something you don't think you can do. Odds are, you can, and you'll never be so glad to prove yourself wrong.
Today my focus is to relax and to take in the people around me. It's so easy to get caught up giving your own actions all of the attention: Are my opinions out of place? Did I get my story out right? Is there something hanging from nose?
I'm sick of this being my autopilot, worrying about my own presence and behavior when I want to be experiencing the souls of others.
The people I meet traveling never cease to amaze me; so many little differences, but all so abundantly human, beautifully flawed in more similar ways than we would imagine.
Today I had the pleasure of speaking with a stranger in a coffee house for the better part of an hour, which is not something I do readily. We discussed our spirituality, philosophies, passion projects, websites, employers, childhood, and all with the knowledge that we would be two people briefly passing through each other's lives.
And to think, I would have missed it all had I listened to my anxieties screaming
"Don't let him talk to you! What if he's a creep?! What if he takes up too much of your time? What if he's just trying to hit on you? He's probably just trying to hit on you..."
But I refused to listen to this nonsense yelling, and then something awesome happened.
This stranger and I had an intelligent and comfortable conversation that sparked mutual understanding and inspiration to carry forward into our lives, careers, and passions.
WOW. All that from giving a stranger the ear he needed, and accepting his willingness to listen to my story in return. While it's crucial to listen to your gut and your surroundings, a wise yoga instructor once taught me that calculated risks are necessary for challenge-seekers like me, and taking a chance on this guy and my good feeling gave me greater balance and understanding of my judge of character.
Not only that, but it showed me just how awesome talking to new people can be. My new acquaintance, Adam, is not only a fellow blogger, but has a similar life calling to bring greater peace and understanding to our society. While we exchanged ideas that would allow each of us to grow in our missions, I realized how much I would have missed out on had I allowed my anxieties to take over.
When the opportunity arises, think twice before avoiding that awkward moment or scary conversation, instead bringing unexpected friendships and opportunities to your life where nothing more than a "hello" once stood.
And don't forget to check out Adam's Instagram Third__Degree here, where he brings his talent of quality communication to the surface so that all walks of life can come together through conversation.