(Not sure why this entry is not showing; reposting)
Takeaway:
People come into our lives through family connections, serendipity, special circumstances. We build those relationships, connect and sometimes, disconnect and, if lucky, reconnect down the road.
No matter how people come into your life or how strong your bond is with them, if they bring you joy, make the effort to share and spend time with them.
We get busy with life, work, other relationships, or whatever else. Life will always throw something that might take precedence in your mind but the effort to spend time with people that warm your heart and soul will yield insurmountable wealth in your life. Who brings joy to your life and when was the last time you reached out to them?
I am grateful for having had the chance to have an awesome Coffee with John New York edition. Love you, bro. You know who you are. Hope to see you and your family soon.
“It was my pleasure my righteous brotha (fist bump emoji)!”
That text basically sums up CWJ #59. Indeed, it was a pleasure. Conversation was light and fun. The subject(s) of the meeting is irrelevant. The takeaway, however: keeping and honoring your word.
It matters when you commit to something and follow through. I had mentioned my Coffee project to this individual and they had agreed to meet up. I honestly did not expect it to happen, especially since we are not close and months had passed before we actually caught up again. So it surprised me when they brought it up again after we had interacted a few other times without me ever mentioning it again.
“We had talked about it so..” that was part of his response when I thanked him for meeting me up. I appreciate him keeping and honoring a commitment he had made months ago.
I get that sometimes we have the best of intentions and life happens, preventing us from keeping promises or commitments we sometimes make on the fly. Also, I understand that we at times agree to things just to be polite, not wanting to hurt people’s feelings.
I am guilty of both. Guilty as sin.
Still, I try to honor my word and follow through when I make a commitment. If I tell you something and, if I don’t forget or circumstances don’t prevent me from it, I will follow through.
As for agreeing to things out of politeness, well, I am still working on that. Lately, I just rather stay silent without agreeing or disagreeing to anything. In those cases, I try to nod my head and smile.
But don’t worry if you have agreed to meet me for CWJ and have not done so. I don’t take it personally. I am not going to hold it against you. I am still going to like and treat you like before. I understand that there are thousands of reasons why. Also, if we are meant to meet up, we are meant to meet; I am not going to force anything.
All I am saying is that there is currency in keeping your word in your day-to-day life. Foremost, keep your word to yourself. If you made a promise/commitment to yourself., you owe it to yourself to honor it.
Delightful two hours, gone unnoticed with the conversation flowing
Takeaway? That’s a good question.
I am probably repeating myself here but how many times do we encounter people in our day-to-day lives that we just know in passing. The neighbor, the doorman, the guy/gal we have seen at the gym for the past three years, the man/woman we pass each day when walking the dog, and the list of people we will never get beyond “Hello, how are you” is endless. We see, talk, and exchange pleasantries with them briefly but that’s the extent of our interaction. I say break the mold.
You don’t necessarily need to meet every stranger you say hello to in your day-to-day life but select one or two people and invite them for a cup of coffee/tea. Or at least take a few minutes of your interaction with them and try to learn something new about them.
Disclaimer – In this case, the person I met I have to say I have known for a while now and we have exchanged more than pleasantries but always in the confinement of the gym. So, not a complete stranger or random person. Still, I have known this person for more than five years, running into them here and there but never truly taking the time to just talk and get to know each other.
How many people do we have like that in our lives? You might have a great time talking to them or realize at that moment that there is a reason why you never want to know your neighbors. But you need to take that leap to find out.
Let me know if you take on the challenge. I am already thinking of one or two individuals.
Coffee With John 