How a stranger's gum led to a history lesson

I was at the bus station, waiting for a late ride. An older lady sat next to me and gave me a piece of gum. We started talking, and she shared how she moved here fifty years ago with one suitcase. She talked about the noisy markets and busy streets from back then. It made me see how we don't have these random chats much anymore. Now, people are always on phones or rushing around. I miss those times when you could connect with a stranger for a few minutes. That moment with her was a sweet reminder of how things used to be.

3 comments

3 Comments

kellys782mo ago

You said we don't have random chats much now cause everyone's on their phone, but I see it happen all the time. Just last week I saw a guy help a tourist figure out the train app on his phone. My neighborhood app is full of people asking for help and getting it from strangers. I get the feeling, but sometimes the phone is the thing that starts the talk.

harper_foster2mo ago

But aren't those just quick fixes that don't lead to real talk? In my experience, once the app works, everyone goes back to their own screen. That's why I say phones mostly stop the kind of pointless chatting that actually makes us feel connected.

hannah_perry2mo agoMost Upvoted

Last month at the park, I saw a group playing Pokemon Go together. They were all strangers before, but the game got them talking and laughing over rare catches. Stuff like that happens all the time now because apps give us common ground to start real conversations. I've even made friends just from commenting on local posts online, so phones can definitely bring people together.