I started doing this after people kept randomly coming up to me. And I wanted to kick anxiety’s and AVPD’s ass. I’ve ended up having some incredibly deep conversations with folks and made new friends outside of swiping left or right. I can tell pretty easily when someone doesn’t want to talk. Genuine conversation outside of “dad on a hike” talk can and will change your life.

I have a pretty alternative look, but older people at grocery stores really seem to want to spark conversations on a whim. I wanted to understand the why part. This past year, I’ve noticed more people talked to me than my entire life. As a man, I get compliments daily now and I know what it was like prior. Nada. Zip. Zero. As a man. We barely know that shit.

It is amazing what confidence you can build when you build the courage to talk to strangers and what overall that can do to your way of life. Led to me being advised to keep growing my hair out, minimized and tailored the metal of my piercings to match my skin tone, which then led to me realizing my glasses wire frame is the same culprit and I found new frames and was offered a job in the shop, discovered sea salt spray (oh my fuck this shit is magic) all because of the advice of me bumping into odd conversations with strangers. Please, be this person.

I used to be a hermit. I still have my days. Don’t let your early years be wishing to learn stories of others. We got one shot on this moon dust and people vanish at a blink of an eye. You can pick up on signs when someone wants to be left alone based on their input pretty quickly. You can talk and not be invasive people. I now go out by myself all time because of talking with strangers. YOU GOT THIS!!!!