A few words can be much better than none

I tend to err on the side of avoiding small talk with people that I run into. With some minor exceptions, I would go even further and say that I’m often antisocial around those new to me. It’s probably mostly to my detriment and something that I’ve been wondering about a lot recently.

Maybe that’s why this recent issue of Rob Walker’s (great) Art of Noticing newsletter hit me like it did.

The basic idea is to “encourage basic human interaction at a time when feelings of loneliness and isolation are widespread.”

Get out at least once a day, and at least exchange a few words with three people or more.

As Rob describes it:

I think about this all the time. I don’t always make the goal, but the prompt has encouraged me to be a bit chattier out in the wild — and to be aware of it when I’m not having enough basic human interaction.

One thing I’ve learned is that just a few words can change the day. And whatever my reservations about Rosenblatt, his essay is useful in making me realize that this can be true with an old friend as well as a random stranger. Either way, the underlying message and spirit is the same: “They do not need to earn your attention. They receive it simply by existing.”

So I’m going to keep following Kirsner’s prompt, and add a Rosenblatt Addendum to reach out to friends more often, remembering that a few words can be much better than none.

I’m trying to take this to heart and say a few more words today.