Many times I find it tedious to share time with people. It's not because I
don't like them (well, maybe sometimes it is), it's because we are different in some
way that I might find less than comfortable. Sometimes that gap of
differences is more like a chasm. The odd thing is, as painful as it may be at the time, that's what makes our
interaction--however brief--actually worthwhile afterward. They have different
traits, stories, and perspectives that make me glad I shared social
space with them. Though these kinds of social experiences many times
leave me drained, they also leave me with new fuel for thought. It's as if I'm wearing someone else's shoes for a short time, however uncomfortable or painful they may be. I notice the unfamiliarity, the lack of comfort, and the different "me" they project, but so do others--the people from the group that wears those shoes. They notice me and talk to me. We share stories and experiences. For a brief time we are the same. When I finally tear myself away, drained, my first thought is relief.
Then I think about our interaction, and how much of it I took with me when I left.
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