• Beyond mere socializing •
[1½ MIN READ]
I’ve been experimenting with running and socializing pretty much since I started running in 2011. What I learned is that it’s a gateway drug, because now I do it even when I’m not running. That makes me an even stranger stranger. How many people go around saying hi to everyone they pass? (Okay, not everyone. There are lines that even I draw, if not many.)
The New York Times columnist David Brooks recently opined about socializing with strangers. Brooks’ big idea is that we, both introverts and extroverts, consistently underestimate how much we’ll enjoy talking to strangers. And we fail to understand how much strangers will appreciate being engaged. (In the spirit of academic writing, he cites academics and the research they do throughout his piece. Also suits me very well.)
I’m fine engaging strangers, but in places where I’m likely to meet people again, I go through a progression: I look to see if I recognize the person from another instance. I move from acknowledging familiar people to introducing myself, particularly when I’m with the person for longer than a moment or I’ve seen them a lot within a short period of time. Then I work on learning and remembering their name. Finally, I work on learning about them and sharing about myself. My end goal is to contribute to an atmosphere of community wherever I happen to frequent. I call that “communitizing.”
Shawmont Running Club: As much about the community as the competition.
-CtCloser (Calvinthe) “Negative Split or Positive Splat” #dothedue
Fine Print
¶Text by Calvin Wang (Wäng), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 ¶Referenced: Facebook Shawmont Running Club (9/3/22 RUN REPORT). Published: Ruminations by CtCloser.
Republished: 2023’04’13’R
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