About a week ago, I noticed a 40-something-year-old woman next to me in a café, picking a straw and mixing her coffee order. She was wearing a gorgeous pair of boots, leopard print scarf, sharp blazer and leather bag to match it all. Naturally, I told her how much I loved her outfit.
She said, “Wow, thank you, that really brightened my mood. Exactly what I needed to jumpstart my day.”
Now this is not an uncommon thing for me to do — if I like somebody’s outfit, hair, headphones or whatever it may be, I’ll respectfully pay them a compliment. But the significance of that interaction made me realize how seldom this actually happens.
Since I’ve come to college, I’ve noticed a trend — people my age are afraid or hesitant to connect with the world that’s outside our bubble.
I’m here to make the case for that to change.
As a college student, campus can feel like our world. Yet, still, the fast pace of college life can easily make us feel disconnected from the concept of our community — both in and outside collegiate life.
Yes, we talk to our friends and classmates all the time. We even have conversations with people online every day. But such easy access to our existing networks, both online and in person, can often cut us off from realizing how interesting and expansive our environments truly are.
When’s the last time you struck up a conversation with a person in real life that you didn’t have to?
Fear of veering outside our normal social circles or school environments is completely understandable. However, the act of stepping outside of our comfort zones can bring unexpected pockets of joy, learning and laughter to our lives and bring new perspectives to seemingly insignificant acts from our daily lives.
Bursting the bubble doesn’t have to happen in a major way — it can be something small like paying a stranger a compliment or making small talk (when appropriate). Whatever it may be, this type of interaction can broaden our horizons in the simplest of ways.
Conversations with people outside of our regular realm of characters can make us feel more connected to those around us in an often hyper-independent world and help us understand what our communities truly look and sound like.
There is happiness to be derived from a brief encounter with someone you might not have much in common with or see regularly. That’s not to say you have to befriend everybody around you. It’s just a reminder to take yourself off of autopilot and remind yourself that you’re a part of a collective.
