There are people who walk past me every day who I will never know. They have lives, friends, names, experiences, and value. None of which I’ll ever know.

The other extreme is the far extreme of people I have known for years, practically since birth, with whom I am connected with. I have a checklist of things I have ticked my way through and found I know everything about them I want to know about them and similarly, they know everything about me they would want to know. Now we’re friends, maybe the best of friends.

The trick is, how do I decide when someone crosses the gap? When is someone I want to cross the gap. I know it happens. I usually realized it happened when I get to talking to someone and we talk about something that happened in their life. Either a major event or a minor event. Then I realize how long it has been since we’ve known each other. I realize how much we’ve been through and how connected we are.

I love seeing this connection to people. I love seeing how much life I’ve walked with people. I have the friends I grew up with, I’m very close to them and I miss them dearly when I’m not around them. I also have these friends in my hometown. People I’ve known much longer than I’ve realized. Friends who I didn’t realize I value as much as I do till I’m 6 hours away from them.

The trick is, I don’t know how to help someone across this bridge from stranger to best of friends.

I can, however, try to be more intentional about finding out about who these strangers are. I see them every week, all over town. Why not just stop and talk with one of them sometime. Find out who they are and maybe a tidbit about them. I wonder if I have another friend walking around my hometown and I just don’t know it yet.

How do you know when someone is one of your best friends? Do you spend time trying to get to know those people you run into every week?

Connectedly,

–JT