Have you ever had one of those conversations that kept you thinking for hours (maybe even days) afterwards? I’ve had two (one actually led to the other) in the last few days and since I haven’t really talked about good conversations before, now seemed like the perfect time. First things first – what constitutes a good conversation? Does it keep you thinking, is it simply time spent you enjoyed, is it the opportunity to discuss something you’ve had on your mind for a while, does is reshape your views or opinions, is it an opportunity to “escape” your everyday life by focusing on something else? How do you define a good conversation?
For me, the first conversation was with a lifelong friend. We’ve experienced a lot in the course of our friendship – a broken engagement, death of a parent, new jobs, moving, getting married… so why were these most recent conversations so different? It’s not like we were “escaping” our lives, we talked about our jobs, our families, favorite actors, the future, money, books, misconceptions, food, friends (& Friends), memories, volleyball, movies… you get the idea. I wonder; if after all this time and all our shared and separate experiences, have we reached a new level of friendship?
So this is what prompted the second conversation. Because my brain has felt like it’s in hyper drive I needed some perspective or insight or guidance or just someone to listen. This second friend is relatively new (within the last 2 years) but is equipped with an ability to listen and empathize that is enviable. So after explaining about the first conversation, we proceeded to have our own “good” conversation. As it turns out, I really just needed someone to “word vomit” on. What a great friend!
What’s the point? Truthfully I’m not 100% sure. This is what I do know – my life has been enriched, my brain engaged, my friendships strengthened, and I am a better person because of these conversations.