About Stephania Varalli
Stephania Varalli was sweetspot.ca’s first employee and is currently off on one of her many adventures (though thanks to her life motto of "seemed like a good idea at the time," she still has a myriad of stories archived to enjoy).
Silver linings... So last season?
that's what sv said canada
(Mar.12.09)
I have an experiment for you: Think about the last five times you struck up an idle conversation with a stranger. How many involved the following:
1. Moaning about a cruel and unforgiving winter.
2. Comparing casualties from the global economic meltdown.
3. Mutual scowling at that guy in line who can't figure out what he wants to order fast enough and doesn't realize that every establishment, despite the cheeriness of their staff, must be approached with the lightning efficiency standards of the Soup Nazi.
So maybe those weren't the exact words, but I'm hoping you picked up on the same pattern that I did:
When stuck in a situation with strangers, we create familiarity through common complaint.
Whatever happened to seeing the sliver lining? I do it well in my own life, where the glass is always half full, and I champion positivity to all my friends. I fail miserably with my elevator-ride buddies.
Maybe this happens because it's easier to find something that you commonly hate (damn you, potholes) than to guess what tidbits of shared joy exist. And why bother digging, when you don't expect them to be in your life for longer than a ride from the lobby?
Perhaps it's that famed Canadian politeness backfiring: I'd argue our culture tells us not to act too happy with strangers in case Mr.New Guy isn't as happy as we are.
Whatever the reason, I think we need to change. I'm not suggesting you start opening conversations with "Let me tell you about my Sweetspot!" (not that that wouldn't be awesome) but instead of the common calamity we should search for a common good (yay, unicorns!).
Consider it your social experimentation homework. And as always, I'd love to hear about it...