Winslen and I discovered in one
of our earlier meetings that we both had a hobby of ping pong. Because of this
mutual interest, we decided that our next meeting would be in the recreation
center so that we could play table tennis. There’s really not much to say.
While we hardly spoke at all, I felt that it was our most productive meeting
yet. We were able to compete with each other and it was a lot of fun. After
about 30 minutes of playing we were both pretty tired and decided to call it
quits. There was no clear winner because we both just rallied the whole time
and didn’t worry about keeping score. We did at one point have a crowd of about
20 people watching us because there was a tour group who came through the rec
center and they stopped to watch us play for a while. We both thought that was
pretty cool. Afterwards, I feel that Winlen and I felt much more comfortable
around each other. In some strange way it is almost as if we communicated more
by competing against each other for 30 minutes than we ever could have by
making small talk for an hour. A wise man once said that you can learn more
about a man in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. I agree.
I completely agree with what you said. I believe that sports is one of the best ways to communicate. Whether you are playing soccer, basketball, or ping pong! I remember playing soccer in Costa Rica with some locals. Even though we weren't able to communicate fully, we bonded over the game itself.
ReplyDeleteHi, Glenn! It sounds like you had a good time with Winslin. I really do think play is a great way to learn about someone. It breaks the ice and relaxes you, and by the end of the game, you end up bonding with the people you play with.
ReplyDeleteI love that you got to do something so fun and off the wall with you CP! I know at least for me just straight talking for an hour can get to be a little difficult, especially with the language barrier, so sports is such an interesting way to get to know him better. And I also completely agree with the wise man quote, I even learn more and more about myself every time I do something competitive. I really don't think my CP plays ping pong, but maybe she has something else in mind we could bond over. Thanks for the inspiration!
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