New Friends

I love getting to know new friends. Everyone has such interesting stories and insights that are impossible to detect from outward appearances or surfacy conversations. Like I've said a million times on this blog, my favorite thing in the world is listening to alternative perspectives. We can research and learn as much as possible, but without someone else's perspective, we'll never catch a glimpse of the world through anyone's eyes but our own. Not to mention it's just plain fun to hear life stories and relate to someone new. Even simply laughing with a new acquaintance is refreshing since most laughter is stimulated by the ability to understand a shared situation. Humor comes from relatability, and nothing is more natural and comforting than personally relating to a fellow human being.

I've recently gathered new perspectives and shared lots of laughs with my friends from the Street King promotions. They have become regulars in my weekly life because the promos occur at least three days a week. Rayna, Kelly, and Massimo are the most prevalent new friendships, but I really like a lot of the other promoters, as well. Standing around for hours with drink samples allows ample opportunity to get to know each other, particularly since passing the time requires self-entertainment. We all get really goofy after the first hour, cracking each other up since there's nothing else to do. I'm incredibly myself with these people. Well, I don't really think being "myself" means that I have to be goofy and weird...but in this case, that's what I mean. I'm not afraid that they'll think I'm nuts because no one in the group holds back...funny voices, strange faces, and uncontrollable giggles are expected during shifts nowadays.

Only this week have we started hanging out apart from work. Last night, Rayna and I grabbed dinner, where I listened to her life story and how she ended up moving to New York at the exact same time I did. She is a very quiet person, so I was really fascinated to learn about everything she's been through. Afterwards, we visited Massimo and Kelly, who were working a Street King promotion in Union Square (Rayna and I didn't have to work that shift). They had a few hours before being dismissed, so Rayna and I walked around until we found a little bar to wait in, pending their company. An hour or so later, Jacob showed up, followed by Massimo and Kelly. When Massimo left, he was replaced by Conor, who came out at the tail end of the night. With the exception of Jacob, everyone I was with was brand new to me, which made me finally feel at home in New York. You never know who you'll meet or who you'll be spending time with in the future. Up until three weeks ago, I didn't know these people existed. Now, they're the reason I'm beginning to truly enjoy NYC.