Talking to a Stranger

I work at Giant Foodstore and talking to strangers is not something I am unfamiliar with. No conversation makes it past a "hi" and "bye" but this weekend I tried to change that. I let someone into my life and as a result it was quite rewarding. I was talking to an employee and he asked me how school was going. In return I asked him the same thing and whether he was going to graduate on time. He replied by saying no and I told him I was going to graduate on time and the customer in my line said that was very ambitious of me. Then we began to talk about school and how important it was to get a degree. She stated that she was turning 70 and is still working but not in a job she enjoys and further began to say that getting a degree opens your job opportunities in so many ways. Then she was telling me how working and saving money is the best thing you can do because you never know what it is going to be like years from now. I began to tell her how I invested in apple stock and how well it has done for me. She started talking about her son and his love for apple products and then we quickly discussed the stock market and capitalism where I mentioned the new Michael Moore film. She was telling me how she is from Britain and her views on capitalism and socialism. All of this talk happened within 5 mins. She was a very polite older woman and its small talk like that that is so rewarding. Talking with a stranger is not nerve wracking but a great way to get perspectives from people you are unfamiliar with.