New Friends

I read in an article that members of small tribes in South America, and sometimes participants of church groups in other parts of the world, may have longer life spans. It was believed that social interaction can keep a person "young", or at least more active.

I never had many friends, and in fact on once occasion when I was informed that my friend was on the phone to contact me, I replied "Which friend? I have two." This article presented the idea to me that I could perhaps benefit from having a surplus of friends.

I went forth with the intention of making many friends. I introduced myself to strangers, I participated in social events and I introduced myself to more strangers at these events. In the time since I made this decision to collect friends, I have developed a grand network.

One evening, one of my original two friends and I considered the social circle I now belonged to. She inquired, "Now that you have these friends, what will you do with them?"

Perhaps this step of the plan was poorly constructed. The article I had read lacked clear instructions on how to secure a long life by having a social community.

Finally I replied, "I will harvest their life energy and live forever, I suppose."

Friends are a valuable source when it comes to having a long and worthy life.

Awkward Interaction

I did not always have this social grace you see here, to talk to myself, about myself on a regular basis. In fact, there was a time when I was entirely awkward, especially around other people.

From my socialization with my pet dogs and birds, I picked up an affectionate gesture in which I bump the tip of my nose to the nose of someone else. My dogs of course understood the act and responded to our noses bumping with much love and joy. My birds understood my intentions and nuzzled in return.

When my pets overwhelmed me with a feeling of adoration, I would bump our noses in a wordless gesture of my appreciation. My pets understood me well.

Alas, the world is a large place and is often filled with people. I found myself at a social gathering in which I was talking to people, rather than animals. I found myself talking to a young woman and she was indeed a shining example of mastering social surroundings. She introduced me to her lover, she told me about her dreams and goals, she shared several hobbies and we enjoyed a good conversation.

This woman told me a marvelous joke and at that instant I decided I had all intentions of being this person's friend. She was smart and witty and wonderful, and she deserved a bump on the nose.

I leaned forward to bump her nose with my own and she was understandably unfamiliar with the gesture. She responded by putting her hands up and cautiously leaning away with a loud but firm "Woah!"

The party became a bit quiet and everyone turned to stare, finding me leaning forward into her personal space. Making friends became a little bit more difficult after that.