Friendly Faces, Confined Places

Sometimes it's challenging to make a new-and-true friend - a friend that is more than a kind acquaintance or class buddy. A friend who wants to know you, outside the realm of work or school. I am suddenly reminded of kindergarten; for in kindergarten, you typically only invite your "friends from class" to your birthday party.

And now - 15 years later, at a different time and place - at a school with thousands of people, I know many yet only hang out and party with the some. The some that I have known for the past 2.5 years. Granted, there is nothing wrong with this for I adore my roommates and have fun within my social circle.

Still, I can't help but feel anxious and curious. Curious..to know the life-story of that familiar yet nameless face, who I see everyday around campus. Anxious..to connect with someone new, exciting, and different.

Because the people I meet in class are in fact nice and interesting; so why then, are those people so often confined to the classroom? Why does the stranger who you literally see everyday avoid a smile or a hello? I think there are many friendly faces in this world; but too often, they are confined and bound to specific times or places.

The friends you meet and make in first year university should not form the rest of your school years. The friends you meet and make in a team, club, or sorority should not be your only option for a Friday night party. The friends you meet and make from work should not be confined to a Monday to Friday, 9-5 regime.

I wish and want to meet, mix, and mingle within circles of friends and acquaintances. I want to share and introduce my friends to others. I want nothing more than to expand my horizons, because I truly think I should.

Maybe only the curious, open, and selfless ones are so lucky enough to know the name of a friendly-face, within a confined place. Maybe it's only a select few who cannot see beyond their current tight-knit domain of friendships. Maybe the confined restrictions of institutions are to blame. Or maybe my curiously is simply growing like wild fire, burning both my lungs and heart.

.Seeking. More. Curiously. Yours.