Chatty Is as Chatty Does

I'm chatty. I really enjoy greeting the folks I meet during the day. One major blessing of living in the Midwest is that we actually speak to one another. We ask, "How are you today?" We answer. We say thank you. We wish each other a good day. It's friendly.

Of course, not everyone is friendly all the time. When behind the wheel, Minnesotans can be downright aggressive, rushing around, cutting ahead in traffic, and flipping the bird. We follow people who are leaving the mall, trolling for a place to park. Then, we hover, signal light blinking, for the driver to surrender the parking spot preventing any other drivers from passing.

However, once separated from their vehicles, Minnesotans are downright affable, especially after a month or so of enforced hibernation.

Wednesdays the kiddo and I go to Circus class, Cirque du Soleil-style. The kids do these incredible tricks, and the parents get to sit behind the red rope and watch. I am anxious to do the tricks too, but my core muscles are not ready yet. So, I watch and wait.

Waiting can be a lonely endeavor. I find it even more objectionable when I feel lonely in a crowd. So, I chat. Last fall, I made friends with one of the other circus moms. We talked about mom stuff. I really liked her, and kiddo liked her child too.

Last week, she let me know that they had decided to change their schedule. I was disappointed. I was just sure that I would have to sit and watch my kid in total silence. A whole hour alone in a crowd, isolated yet surrounded.

We show up. I ask one of the parents whether his wife had found a job yet. He said no, but they were thinking of moving to Japan. A woman said, we're moving to Japan in the fall. By the end of the class, there were five of us parents and one nanny, talking about living in Japan, France and Spain. We laughed about not sleeping. We talked about our quirky kids and what they were trying to teach us. I had a blast.

I went to circus today thinking that I was going to be bored and alone. I was sure of it. I would have bet money on it. What a great thing not to be right all the time.

It's super easy to stay home when the temperature is -30 degrees. It's comfortable to associate exclusively with people we already know and like. But when I step out of the house and out of my comfort zone, I get surprised.

String enough of these moments together and you have the makings of a truly good day.