Dear Reader Column 3-23-07

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Dear Reader,

I don't think I know how to meet people anymore. It used to be as simple as walking up to someone and saying hello. But things are different now. When I was in New York City last week, sitting alone in a Starbucks, I thought about walking over to a woman who was sitting by herself, saying hello, and striking up a conversation. But I was afraid that if I offered a sincere greeting like, "Hi, I'm Suzanne. I'm just killing a little time right now before an appointment and I thought you looked like an interesting person to meet. Would you mind if I sat down?" instead the woman might interpret my words to mean, "Hi, I'm Suzanne and I'd like to get to know you better, so I can find out where you live and rob you when you're not home."

So instead of relaxing and enjoying my cup of coffee, I'm sitting here rehearsing possible greetings--trying to figure out if there's anything I could say that wouldn't make me sound like a weirdo. Maybe instead of introducing ourselves to people, we need to go back to passing notes like I used to do in school. I'm a writer, I ought to be able to draft a compelling note, walk over, hand it to the woman, stand nearby while she reads it, and wait for her review.

"I'd give that note four stars Suzanne. Yes, I'll talk to you and I'll recommend that my friends talk to you too."

It's a complicated world, and unfortunately I've looked in the woman's direction too many times. She's onto me--at least the scary part. I've gotten way too close to her personal space and she's heading out the door. Now I'll never know who she is, what she does for a living, what her favorite coffee is, and why she was carrying a small "Happy Birthday" bag.

Yes, things are different now. I think I better get used to sitting alone.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com

READ THE CLASSICS: Main Street by Sinclair Lewis and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/2eutpk

Comments

[Uzma Khadim]

Dear Suzanne,
I understand the feeling very well. My analysis is that most of the people feel the same way as we do. So if you just go and say hello to somebody, chances are that you would end up having a pleasant feeling instead of feeling a wierdo.

By the way, your column is like a like a hot cherry pastry in the morning. (I like cherry pastry without too much butter better than chocolate.) Most mornings I skip my breakfast sometimes because I don't have time and sometimes because I don't like the kitchen. So its a very nice surprise to walk to my office thinking I could eat an apple that I have with me and find that someone is distributing cherry pasteries at the entrance on the ground floor.
Have a wonderful Sunday, (Its nice weather here in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The sun is shining. I hope we have a nice day),
Uzma

[Mike Johnston]

I find the artical very intersting and it seems to fit in to todays attitudes. Everyone is afraid some one will take what they say wrong. I for one don't care what the other people think, because if you worry about what everyone might think, you will change your mind and opinion every five minutes.

[Sharon]

I'll bet almost everyone can identify with your feelings, Suzanne. It's a strange world we live in these days; we hear so much on the news that makes us suspicious of strangers and keeps us isolated. I do think it's easier to start up casual conversations when you're living in a small town, though.

I enjoyed reading about your biz card experience in NYC. See? That kind of synchronicity helps keep us connected. :)