Be kind to strangers

Step three of my resolution to connect with people is to heighten my awareness of the people around me throughout the day: the clerk at the gas station, the custodian in the back of the school gym, the lady browsing next to me at the book store.
I'm actually pretty good at being nice to people I don't know; some time ago, I decided to make it my personal mission to smile at every person I saw and do my part to be the bright spot in their day. This, and the fact that my grandma always says I have the words "I'm friendly--talk to me!" tattooed on my forehead, has led to some great conversations with strangers in grocery stores, at the movies, and especially with waiters while eating out.

That said....
...recently I've noticed I  may smile and be pleasant, but I don't always make an effort to make a connection. Particularly on the airplane, I've become more attached to my personal routine: write in my journal, drink some water so I don't get a headache, plug in my ipod and close my eyes. Ahhhhh.
While I've been making an effort to reconnect with my family and friends and make new friends, too, the idea that some pretty amazing people are crossing my path every day kept popping up in my head. So I tried to initiate more conversations, compliment people more frequently, and ask more questions when I was near people I'd normally just walk past.
This was fun. I've had the chance to help people carry things to their car or offer directions. One lady in Barnes and Noble asked me about the book I was carrying (it was the Book of Mormon). My days were much richer and interesting once I started reaching out to the people around me, usually for just a few brief seconds. Three stories to share results:

1. Waiting to board the plane in St. Louis, I noticed a young guy hanging with his buddies, with a huge smile on his face. It was nice to see someone totally jazzed and excited about their conversation (turns out they were talking about a conference they had just attended at NASA in Houston). Later, when we were in line boarding the plane, I overheard them talking about boarding passes and traveling, so I turned around and jumped into the conversation. We talked for a few minutes, laughing and joking. Then the lady in front of me turned around and joined us, as well. By the time we were all seated, we were all smiling and had all made connections.
Wait, there's more! The young guy ended up sitting across the isle from me on the same row. He showed me his pictures from the space conference thing, and then we started talking about politics, the environment, and why it's important to have convictions in life. He asked me what I thought happens after we die. I told him about the Plan of Salvation and invited him to church that Sunday, because I would be speaking during Sacrament meeting.
HE CAME! (His name is John; super cute kid who wants to work for NASA one day)
If I had never jumped into that conversation, we wouldn't have had a great talk about life and how to live it, and he wouldn't have visited my church, where we had a great time.
Connection: made.

2. The next week, I was flying to Denver and sat next to a very handsome man in his early thirties (Yay! I feel like I only see 20-year-old college guys or 45+ business guys on planes, bummer for a single gal like me). He had no wedding ring, lots of dark, wavy Prince Eric hair. I wanted to talk to him.
He wouldn't have it.
I asked about his ring.
He answered succinctly that it was his family crest.
Where was his family from?
North Carolina.
Does everyone in the family have one?
Just the men.
I complimented it, to which I received a nod and silence.
Later, I asked about what he was working on, I shared something funny I had just read...finally, I just closed my eyes and slept a little.
As we were getting off the plane, for the first time he flashed me a big grin (my heart stopped--his smile made him about 300 times more beautiful) and said, "Hope you have a great week."
And then he was gone.
Was this a failed attempt??
No. I didn't get annoying, but I was able to be a little more friendly than just ignoring him from the moment I sat down.
Plus, who knows what kind of stress he's under, whether he has a fiance at home, or if he just had a pounding headache...it aint no thing that he didn't want to carry on a conversation with a stranger. I'm just proud of myself for being aware of the people around me. (I wouldn't mind if more handsome, North Carolina men whose families own farmland cropped up in the future.)

3. Last night, walking to my car after a casual pool party, a guy blasting Skrillex pulled in and parked. Skrillex fans are rare to just happen upon, especially if you're not a partier who loves raves (I'm not). I was excited to have a connection with this guy. So, I knocked on his car window and said hi. He rolled the window down (facial expression was a bit wary...). We talked about music for a little while. The guy, Kevin, was very nice. And then I went home. Another connection made that added a bit of happiness to my evening.