Why I Can't be Left Alone for too Long .....

Friday, April 10, 2009....

In my family there are the family members that strike up conversations with strangers, and the ones random strangers approach. I'm the latter.

Sunday, on the way home from Kripalu (land of no caffeine) my sister was jonesing for a Starbucks. She used the GPS app on her phone which led us many miles off the Torrington exit.

When we finally reached the final GPS destination, I laughed. Someone forgot to update the Starbuck locations on her snazzy app because it had closed down. Luckily, my sister saw a Panera and went there.

Woo Hoo another diet cola for me! Seriously, I MADE her (aka whined)for diet cola stop shortly after we left Kripalu.

I get my cup and ask the Panera's guy where the soda machine was and am told 'it's straight back'. Great. I'm starting to fill up my cup and forget I have a zen like yoga shirt on (small lettering of "believe in yourself" right above my chest). This shirt coupled with Panera's great ice tea (I was told this) is what sparked a very personal, long conversation - wait, conversation implies 2 or more people talking, scratch that.

I learned far too much about this woman. I'd like to say I was disturbed by the TMI, but this is not something unusual for me. It happens ALOT to me. I haven't a clue why.

After 10 minutes of chatting by the soda machine, I was able to direct her and the conversation towards the front (part of me had the fear that my sister ditched me). She was still chatting as we left the store. We said our goodbyes and when I got in the car my sister asked if she was someone I went to UCONN with. I said no. She asked how I knew her, I replied I didn't.

Sometimes, people find it easier to talk to strangers and I won't cut a person off. They have a story that's important for them to share, why ruin their excitement?