I Am a Social Animal

A few years ago, I would deny it. And, I have the personality tests to prove I am not social.

But I am.

If I stay home all day, not talking or meeting anyone, it leaves me feeling lonely and incomplete.

Yella called this morning and we finally got to talk for a while. It was good to connect.

Then, off for breakfast and the weekly expat meeting.

I enjoyed breakfast with a couple, then onto the meeting. A friend was doing the presentation and I wanted to support him.

We normally make fun of the expat meeting--it is for those without a clue, those not knowing how to figure out Panama, those who should have stayed in the states, etc.

The meeting was surprisingly fun. I got to see a few people I haven't seen for a while. Yella and I have been out of the social loop for a couple of weeks because of house stuff and we aren't in any music production so we haven't seen this group of people for a while.

I visited with them for about a hour, all fun.

Then, on to Amigo's for a light lunch.

Now, I normally see "the usuals" at Amigo's and I did see them and the normal, mundane conversation was going on.

If I relax and let the conversation develop slow and easy, it is amazing what pops out.

The lady next to me, out of the blue, says she used to work for Werner Erhardt & Associates in the early 80's. She was a computer programer and she wrote their systems software.

I know there are a lots of opinions about Werner ranging from he's a saint to he's the anti-Christ. For me, he, his work and organizations were impactful.

The lady proceeds to talk about working with Werner. On Saturdays, frequently they were the only two there. He would walk across the office and sit down and talk to her. She said he would let her talk and he would listen.

She said, "Isn't that funny...this great man with so much to say and offer would sit and listen to me...just listen."

One Saturday, Bucky Fuller walked in to see Werner. Werner lead Bucky across the office and introduced him to her. She said that was common, Werner always included her with his guests.

I feel that Werner made a big impact on modern society and personal responsibility. And I thought that sitting down to talk to him would be an incredible event. Now I know it would be. Only truly great people listen.

I should pay attention to my own words.

I left Amigo's for home feeling full and complete after spending a few hours talking to friends.