On Pine Meadow road in small Northfield Mass where I grew up there was an older gentleman who was my neighbor. His name was Clarence and he was born in 1900. He also grew rhubarb. Many times over the course of my childhood my family would go visit him. There wasn't an agenda and I never had anything important to say but I remember Clarence's stories. He would tell stories of life before vehicles and then of driving the winding roads of our area on dirt roads and living life in the great depression.
It was very interesting as a kid listening to these stories because this man had experienced life in a way I never would. It seemed so foreign to listen to a life without vehicles, or modern day conviences.
My great grandmother was even older than Clarence and she would tell pretty funny stories of her days in prep school, she was somewhat of an athlete and played basketball. She would marvel during the 1980s watching the Celtics how different a game basketball was from when she played. In her playing days the players wouldn't move they would stay stationary and have to pass the ball and there would be people who just played defense and those that played just offense.
Many time we don't plan time for conversations, how do we quantify the importance of a conversation? With many other more "important" things to do in life, conversations don't make the top ten list. Even in social events many posturing and talking at people takes place.
Sitting down with people and conversing with an agenda is priceless. With my crazy life situation I have the freedom many times to do this more than most.
I am very intruged by people's stories. Everyone has them and who knows what that person's story holds. People's stories hold happiness, sadness, pain, and sorrow. Stories of triumph, greatness, regret, and dispair. All of us have life experience and knowledge but it is sometime much more work listening then it is talking.
I wish I had skills in fixing tangible things, working on cars, or anything else that could actually be useful in life. I joke with my wife many times I don't need to know that stuff because I know people who know how to do it. Why? It is through conversations. All of us have something that gets up every morning. All of us have passions, hobbies, and knowledge that we love to share with others.
When we talk with and listen we find these things out.