Meeting People in a Small Town
Monday, May 26th, 2008
I find it harder to meet people in a small town than I do when I live in a larger city. Several other friends who have also lived in both have openly disagreed with me however. “Because when there are less people, its easier to find connections.” Kinda like the six degrees of separation phenomenon.
Which, if I think of meeting people in a small town from that perspective, I can’t help but to agree. Meeting those first few kind souls is the hard part, but once the ball is rolling, suddenly you feel like you are connected to everyone. I haven’t quite decided yet if this is a good thing.
Case in point: I’ve been chatting with a gent on a dating site who lives out of town, but who is moving here at the end of the month. No expectations, just the hopes of meeting new people. He’s got a son of his own, and he’s recent, young retiree, so he has (in his own words) plenty of time on his hands. All sounds lovely so far, doesn’t it?
So I mention him to my sister, because, well, she may think of places to show this new small town member that I’d forgotten about, having only recently moved here myself. But no. Instead she asks, “His name wouldn’t happen to be so-and-so would it? Because he sounds a lot like the guy who is moving in with my coworker.”
Uh oh, I think. I know this coworker. She’s a lovely woman. Kind hearted, friendly, and passionate. But she’s talked about her new housemate often, and even I’ve wondered by the way she lights up when she speaks of him if there is something more going on than merely “two people helping each other out”.
I hate triangles, even more so in small towns because they are so common when meeting new people. So what to do? I’ll email him and ask. Hopefully he’ll get the note before he turns off his internet service, and I’ll be able to breathe a sigh of relief.



