Meet someone new. Meet them because they are interesting. Meet them because they have an enticing smile, an interesting tattoo, or stomped in a puddle with more vigor than you've ever seen. Meet them because you wouldn’t normally talk to them.
Simply have a conversation with someone you’ve not met before.
Why:
This is as much for the people you're meeting as it is for you. We're starting The Brave New with a simple challenge that may be the most important of the entire project, as it involves breaking down social walls for you and, to some extent, the people around you. Why, as a society, haven't we made a habit out of knowing the people around us? Nothing bad will happen, to put it simplistically.Bonus points!
Make a friend. Make three friends! Make five friends! Don't make four friends. Four's a terrible number. In China, they don't have a fourth floor on most elevators, because the word for "four" sounds a lot like the word for "die". True story.How many people that you meet can extend into actual relationships? Exchange phone numbers, email addresses, Facebook adds, and home address if you're so inclined, and don't if you're not. Remember, the world's not always a safe place, so use your discretion here.
Resources:
www.howtodothings.com/family-relationships/how-to-meet-new-peopleSo that’s Luke. He’s a stand-up comedian from Indianapolis, and he’s been doing this a month and a half. I learned I shouldn’t drink when I meet people, cause… that’s about all I retained.
Eat Henry’s Hat with Natalie
If you ever find yourself in Burbank, I’d urge you to eat at Henry’s Hat- the only restaurant I’ve ever been to that has found the perfect balance of liquor, gourmet burgers, and Nintendo Wii. I met with two friends to partake in beefy shenanigans after work, and we found ourselves seated in a room otherwise entirely dedicated to a birthday party.
While my friends and I kept to ourselves most of the night, I did end up talking to one of the birthday partiers for a while. Her name is Natalie, and she’s a massage therapist.
Her thoughts on The Brave New? She thinks we should do a challenge where everyday we find a new way to relax. As a massage therapist, obviously relaxation is paramount to her life-view. She offered an interesting tidbit on relaxation- stress reduction is a daily activity. If you don’t find a way to relax every day, you can’t expect to take a few hours at the end of the week to “fix” yourself. She also dropped the name Golden Bridge, a renowned center in LA for spiritual relaxation and, get this, kundalini yoga.
Incidentally, I met Lawrence Fishburne immediately afterwards outside, but the conversation I had with Natalie made her infinitely more precious a meeting.
What did we learn?
It takes a negligible amount of time to get a different perspective on life pursuits from strangers. Natalie’s interest in stress reduction was more than engaging, it was worth thinking about. I’m not sure if it’ll make it into a monthly challenge, but I can promise her outlook will shape my pursuit of new adventure!
Up next: A preview of next month’s challenge!
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