Talking to strangers - something that I’m sure excites some of you and terrifies others. A close friend of mine once explained to me the reason she loves airports: hundreds, if not thousands, of people from all over the world, each with a unique destination and a unique story. She’s the type to talk to anyone she meets. She looks forward to talking to her seatmates on the plane! This friend enjoys talking to strangers.

Listening to her explain this, I was flabbergasted. Airports are interesting, sure. People are fascinating, yes. But where she views airports as places to make new connections, I’m the type to put my headphones on and try to survive my flight without any awkward conversations with the fellow passengers sitting uncomfortably close to me. In general, I don’t mind talking to strangers. Sometimes, I’d just rather not.

We all likely have different views on talking to strangers. But occasionally, a conversation with a random person can change someone’s entire day. It can bring new concepts to light. It can make you think differently about life.

A Different Perspective

Aimee Willis, also known as Farmer Aimee, supports Vintage Meadows through social media, marketing, and community building. Wife to Farmer John and mom to five kids and two dogs, Aimee’s social media presence is a delightful representation of her family’s life. Two of her recent posts have included captions about striking up conversations with strangers.

“While you’re in line at the store today to grab your last minute Super Bowl snack items,” Aimee says, “ask the person behind you what magazine [in the checkout lane] they would pick and why. You never know what type of conversation you may have!” She goes on to describe the conversation SHE had while she was picking up ingredients for taco dip. This connection led to the couple sharing an exciting new recipe with her. In another post, Aimee’s advice involves the coin-operated toy and candy dispensers you might find at the mall: “Next time you are near one of these machines, ask the person closest to you which machine was their favorite when they were a kid.” Again, this resulted in a fun and rewarding conversation with another mall-goer, down memory lane.

I can’t lie. When I initially skimmed these posts, my first thought was, “I would never do that!” But my next thought, triggered by the fun descriptions of the connections Aimee had made, was, “Well, why not? What’s the harm in spreading some positivity, human to human?”

So with that thought lingering in my subconscious, I went into a local coffee shop today and sat down at a small table, next to an older man with a long white beard intently writing something and drinking coffee out of a cool-looking pottery mug. Within minutes of me beginning to read my book, he leaned over and asked me, “What are you reading there?” In a split second, I decided to lean into this conversation with this interesting character, and I found that not only had he read the same book, but he also shared some fascinating insight into the book’s themes that I then went back and pored over. He showed me another book that he was reading, a very well-loved miniature copy of the Psalms and introduced himself. Through a brief conversation, I learned he was a local Catholic priest, about his two children, and a new perspective on my studies. “I don’t want to bother you!” he said. “I’ll let you keep working. I’m writing a letter.”

As he packed up his things to leave 15 minutes later, he said, “Destiny, God bless you. May you stay blessed.”

“Thank you, and the same to you!”

“See ya!”

“See ya!” And to be honest, I hope I do see him again.

Our Values

One of the most rewarding things about Vintage Meadows is watching the relationships we’ve developed over the years continue to grow and blossom, as well as continuing to build new relationships. Through our interactions with Chicago suburbanites and rural Goshen locals, we’ve met all kinds of people from all walks of life. Each conversation began by two strangers connecting through a shared desire for clean, healthy food. To our customers, our people, your histories are as colorful as our farm during the summertime. Your stories collect in our hearts and minds. You affect our lives in ways you’d never guess! We delight in your presence on our farm! We delight in serving you.