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Sat down to read HOW TO STAND UP TO A DICTATOR by Maria Rassa (also recommend) in the library today. Two beautiful old queens were sat with me, said I had nice practical boots on. I complimented her hair (stark white braid down to the waist) and she gave me a voucher to cash in at her son’s store opening!
But more important than getting something out of talking to a stranger, I got to actualise the people around me. I feel like social media has made it so that we don’t see people as people even when off-line. Everyone is just a profile or an image. Except they’re not!!!!!!!
15h ago
Related Recs
yes, this is primarily for the purposes of well, reading, BUT..
i will say in the last couple of years nearly every time i am doing this out in the city an older person, between 70-90, will stop me to ask what i’m reading. often followed by a comment of “young people just don’t read out and about anymore”. this simple and sweet interaction has led to some of the most wonderful (sometimes hours long) conversations with folks who simply want to talk. about your book but then your life and interests and then their life, some incredible things they have done and pass on some of their beautiful life stories and sage advice.
i never feel more connected to humanity than in these happenstance conversations, learning new things about the world through the lens of someone who i likely would have never otherwise met.
i have managed to keep in touch with a few of these folks i’ve met through the years and it is one of my biggest sources of joy. and occasionally snap a portrait of them too, meet Dion, 84, from San Francisco here 💗
Apr 23, 2024
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over the past two years i’ve gotten quite good at speaking to new people, and in the past six months i’ve made it one of my favorite traits. i tell people i love their hair when i’m behind them at line at the shops. i befriended an older lady on the train home from work, we laughed and exchanged stories on the crowded rush hour car. i built a relationship with the lady at sandwich place near my work, to the point where she calls out my nickname (veggie melt) when i walk in, and gave me a free sandwich the day i lost my wallet. i draw her pictures every time, and the other day she offered me freelance illustration work as a result. there is so much beauty and possibility around us, so many stories we can unlock by talking to strangers. when im old and withered, i will mark my years by how many little threads i’ve woven into my life, how many gold links i’ve started by an innocuous interaction with somebody i simply hadn’t known yet.
Feb 26, 2024
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can totally make my day having a fire conversation with a random old lady
Jan 27, 2025
Top Recs from @angelrobinson
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Magazines, music, the newspaper and PRINTING photos of your loved ones. The internet actually won’t last forever!
And art of course.
Feb 23, 2024
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Super generic answer but once I made my account last year I realised how poor apps like Twitter etc. are for communicating ideas. Like you can barely form a thought under 200 characters, let alone host an interesting discussion.
Substack certainly has its pitfalls & the notes side of the app can be a little mindless but overall it really encouraged me to follow through on ideas & discussions & journalling more often!
15h ago
fav it girl move. shoutout to Zoë Kravitz in the 2020 High Fidelity
Apr 1, 2024