strangers – In my world

yawning man in front of laptop — Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Everyone has a topic that fails to capture their interest. Online, you can escape from boring things, but in real life, interacting with people is not easy. You don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings, so you deal with what they discuss. I find it difficult to talk to people I don’t know because they usually don’t like the same things I do. It feels awkward when a stranger talks to you, so you only smile and leave. As an introvert and Finn, I don’t like small talk. That’s one of the things that makes me yawn. I don’t mind discussing the weather, but it still comes up. In a way, that’s an icebreaker, but nothing happens after that.

Listening to other people’s conversations is also a bore, especially on public transport. You think Finns are quiet, but you would disagree if you met one on a bus or train—with someone they travel with, that is. You don’t see us talking to strangers that easily. I don’t know how people become friends if they don’t talk to people. That’s another thing that makes me yawn. No matter where I see others, no one ever talks to me. I haven’t had contact with former classmates. Not that I mind because I didn’t have anything in common with them in the first place. They seemed not to want to get to know me either. Who needs people who aren’t at the same level as you are anyway? Over the years, I’ve stopped caring about it.

The European Champion in football is on, but the whole topic makes me yawn. I only care about football if Finland is playing and how my home teams are doing in the Finnish leagues. Other times, I don’t care. I love watching sports, but not all of them. Sports I don’t care about make me yawn. Those who don’t watch any sport probably know how that feels. The media is full of news about it, and I bet people who don’t care about the sport wish there would be less news about the topic. Fortunately, everyone has a choice. You either care about sport, or you don’t. You can always change the channel or turn to the next page in the newspaper (if you still read one). If someone talks about it, you can leave and do something else.

The last yawning moment is when people talk about movies or TV series that I don’t care about. It feels like people don’t like the same new movies as I do. The same goes for TV. I like watching classic TV shows, but sometimes I check out new ones. I don’t care about Netflix and their shows. Are people still watching it? I have only one paid streaming service provider, and that’s Disney Plus. You see commercials about different providers, but none of them interest me. I couldn’t afford it anyway. Disney Plus has all that I want to pay for. There are a lot of interesting documents to watch, and they are not only made-up stories. They don’t make me yawn, and that’s all that counts.

old typewriter — Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

I used to fear things but became more fearless as I got older. I guess it was because my mother died and I had to be. I didn’t like to talk to strangers, so I didn’t speak to them. It wasn’t because of fear; I felt awkward and wanted to leave. Still, there are days when I don’t feel like talking to anyone, but it isn’t about fear. It’s about being an introvert. Or maybe I don’t have the courage on that day. I think before I speak. Some days, I’m fearless and have no trouble talking to a stranger. The only thing I still fear is talking on the phone. No way I want to do that. I prefer Emails. I don’t answer unknown numbers. Unless it’s essential.

I’m also fearless when I drive a car. I’ve had my driver’s license for almost 3 years and didn’t know if I dared to drive alone. My dad was always with me, but now, when I had to drive alone for a month, I realised it wasn’t that bad. I guess I’ve learned to drive the car. That’s what experience gives you. I still don’t like driving in traffic or on the highway, though. I fear I get in the way or I crash into someone. I drive my dad’s car, which is an older car, so I had to learn how to drive that; it’s only now that I have enough confidence to drive it. The car was a new model in driving school, so driving was different. Both vehicles have a stick shift, but there were 6 gears in driving school when my dad’s car had 5. Driving is fun when you’re fearless.

I can be fearless when it comes to trying new things. Like food, but I want to know what it contains. I’ve cooked new things, and some of them have been good. I have even cooked it again. My mother and I used to try different recipes. She’s the reason why I know how to cook. When you cook yourself, you know what you get. The two ingredients I dislike the most are mushrooms and broccoli. I’m not so fond of cheese either, but in certain foods, it’s alright. I can’t stand it when they put mushrooms in many things. If there are, I take them out. I’m not that fearless that I eat anything.

Being fearless doesn’t mean parachute jumping or rock climbing. It can also be mentally fearless or being fearless in everyday situations. It can be a temporary feeling that might come back, or it may not. We’re all different and see the word differently. That’s something we have to appreciate in other people. You shouldn’t understate opinions about what the words mean to them. You can agree to disagree, but it’s pointless to argue about it. No one should be that fearless to hurt feelings.