I know I said I’d have stranger 50 up by now… I lied. I have fallen victim to the holidays and how time seems to slip away so quickly when you are around friends and family… and that’s ok.
Trust me, I have a plan… a very cool plan for the last three strangers. I may get to it this week while I’m away from home. I may get to it today, we’ll see… when I do it will be good.
In the meantime, keep checking back and enjoy the festive time of year with friends and family.
Happy Holidays!
There are only 3 more strangers left and this experiment will be complete…
This week there will be no stranger, but I encourage you to reach out to the strangers in your life and give a gift that is invaluable. The gift of authentic connection and transparency. Let those closest to you know about your dreams and fears and the truth that resides inside of you. After the holidays, leave the time spent with your family fulfilled with knowing you spent the time together truly connecting. Instead of loading the back of your car with gifts, unload your truth and let it spill onto the carpet and into their hearts.
Christmas is a time of giving – give of yourself without the fancy wrapping. Christmas is a time of receiving – be willing to receive the true gifts other possess in the form of their experiences and their willingness to share…
Check back Monday for Stranger 50 and I wish you Happy Holidays…
Stranger 49 – part I
On a seaside porch I sat in the everglades. River otters swam, chasing fish in the water and a light mist hovered around despite the warm sun.
Stranger 49 sat near me, diligently working away. I had wanted to approach and interview him, but was concerned about distracting him from his work… so I watched and waited. Completely immersed in his craft; shaping, sculpting and creating, his used his tools to cut and carve with precision. As he completed each segment he would delicately set them aside and continue working away.
The clouds snuck over the sun creating brief shade and a moment for me to swoop in. Stranger 49 lifted his head and looked at the sky before glancing over at me and smiling. I smiled back and pulled out my recorder and scooted a chair beside him.
A 3-year old preschooler, stranger 49 spent the next moments scrunching his forehead and thinking hard about the questions I asked him… while working on his playdough.
1) What is your dream job?
“Hibernating.”
2) What fulfills you?
“Finding a file phone… it’s about playdough, making out of a castle block.”
3) What is your greatest fear?
“I am scared of the dark, the monsters in the dark. That’s just that I want somebody to stay with me and sleep with me. (My Grandpa) always does that, but he doesn’t do that very often. And I’m scared of sharks and whales. And I ‘m scared of crocodiles. I’m just worried that they could eat me all up.”
Check back Wednesday for part II…
Stranger 48 – Part I
The wind blew the snow viciously across the highways making it almost impossible to see the road or any of the vehicles that traveled in front of us. As we made our way to the airport we crossed our fingers that our flight would be able to take off and we could escape the windy frozen tundra and seek refuge down south… The warmth and beauty of the Everglades and the Gulf of Mexico awaited us, just on the north side of Tampa Bay.
After a long day of travel we found our way to house situated on a fresh water canal that connects to the gulf. On the drive to the house I became curious about the signs on the side of the road advertising smoked mullet. Images filled my head about what it could possibly be… not what I had imagined at all… smoked mullet is smoked fish.
Feeling a slight amount of guilt for the people stuck up in the land of winter, I went to the beach to relax and enjoy the weather that was quickly climbing up to 80 degrees.
The smooth white sand beaches had a smattering of people lying in soaking up the rays of the sun and I figured one of them would be the next stranger.
I quickly noticed one woman who was sitting against a rail beside her assisted walking apparatus, looking into the ocean… I became curious and was soon speaking with the 47 year old woman as I kneeled into the sand and had a conversation.
I had already seen the storks and read about the manatees, but this was the first time I had ever encountered a mermaid…
1) What is your dream job?
“Well, I had a great job, inside sales. I made good money, I went to Europe about three times a year, I loved the job but the boss was totally unreasonable. He tried to… oh that’s not the question. I would have a job where I travel a lot, inside sales, make a lot of money and like the people I work with.”
2) What fulfills you?
“Health, friendship, financial security, the health of my family…”
3) What is your greatest fear?
“Well, right now I’m suffering from a broken leg, recovering. So, I would say my greatest fear right now is falling again.”
Check back Wednesday for part II…
Fresh water springs bubble through the soft ground of the Florida everglades to form an intricate natural canal system that leads to the ocean. Manatees, snorks and alligators call this place home, and for the next two weeks so will I.
I am currently just north of Tampa Bay after escaping the winter snow storm in Calgary. After a long day of traveling, I am now settled in house along one of the fresh water canals that lead to the gulf of Mexico. Again a bit late, but after some work this morning I am off to inter view the next stranger…
I saw a sign beside the road advertising smokes mullet… I’m curious to find out what that is…
Check back later and see who it is!
