I’m being sarcastic here. As far as I know there is not an app called “conversation”, and apologies if I’m wrong. As I take 2025 to post daily and speak my own self therapy I have found that doing so is giving me a new found sense of confidence and fearlessness.

Not that I’m not still a ball of anxiety. That is still there. But for certain things in life, I stopped being scared. I asked a friend to meet for lunch, and I wasn’t afraid of rejection. I talked to a random person and I wasn’t afraid to open my mouth. Honestly, I have rejected trying new things or talking to new people out of fear. I don’t want to be laughed at, shunned, mocked, blown off, or any other words from that part of the thesaurus. I wrapped myself up in my blanket of familiarity and closed myself off from any opportunity for new experiences. I could talk to people with a literal screen, this one I’m writing these words on now, between us. But in real life? No. That could lead to being rejected. That fear could happen again and again, and rejection could happen again and again. Or I could just go home and podcast with people who already like me.

But the problem became that wall let in less and less people. We all have commitments to work, family, etc and that means maybe my online friends can’t be online so much anymore. Which causes me to talk to less and less people. Then it becomes home, wrestling, bed time.

Recently I recognized the path I was taking. I saw what happens to someone who talks to no one and just goes home by themself over the years and it wasn’t a pretty future vision. Then a connected thought, there must be other people who can’t bring themselves to reach out to other people either.

So I started messaging people. I initiated conversations while out shopping. I made plans to meet up. Yes, there were a variety of responses. Some people didn’t respond, some ignored me, some said maybe another day. But some talked to me for an hour or two. Some said come through my line next time you’re here. Some said let’s get lunch. All of these scenarios are skills I think we have forgotten. As much as I have ranted that we have lost and need “third places” I now recognize that those need to be created. If McDonald’s can become a third place for old retired men to grab coffee and bullshit across the nation, then I can find a reason to talk to people where ever I walk into.

Our ability to socialize has atrophied and as I seek to share my words with the world, I will now also be saying those words out loud in person.