Since getting hooked on Australian rules football last year, I’ve been wanting to watch a game live. Fortunately, Alberta has an AFL-associated league, and they regularly play games through the summer. I got a chance to go to a game recently and watch the action up close.
Out just beyond the outskirts of Calgary, there’s a provincial park that’s unknown to most who live inside the city. Big Hill Springs Provincial Park is a great place to bring a hiking shoes or a mountain bike. With it’s tufa mounds and elegant waterfalls, the park has a trail about 2 to 3 kilometers long, making it ideal for short morning hikes.
The trails are primarily dirt, so going during wet season might be a sloppy affair. Nevertheless, the trail runs through impressive greenery, and the fresh air and quiet is a welcome escape from the city.
I’ve always had a touch of social anxiety, but fortunately this is something that is easy enough to overcome with practice. Eye contact is one of the biggest parts of social interaction – you can even have entire conversations with nothing but eye contact.
One of the books I read to help me with eye contact was Michael Ellsberg’s The Power of Eye Contact: Your Secret for Success in Business, Love, and Life
There’s been a few other things I’ve found that can help. A big one is working on your posture so that when you walk your eyes are level with the ground, so that you always look straight ahead. This has the benefit of helping you make eye contact right away, as well as giving you a naturally confident gait. Another trick that has worked well is to smile (as naturally as possible) when looking at someone’s eyes – it disarms the direct eye contact, and signals that you are generally interested in the person.
If you follow these tips and tricks, you’ll be able to convey more with your eyes than with your words!
A bizarre dream I had recently:
I’m sitting on the couch in my apartment, reading a book. It’s dark out, I don’t know what time it is but I am tired. As my eyes are about to glaze over, there’s a knock on my door. I don’t know why anyone would be knocking at this hour of the night, but I open the door.
Behind the door is Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “Hello! Are you Mr. Crosby?”
“Oh, hi mayor.” I’m in disbelief. “Yeah, that’s me. So, um, why are you here?”
“Yes, I’m going door-to-door to make sure that everyone in Calgary knows what’s going on in the city.”
“That’s great mayor. But it’s kind of late.”
“Oh, sorry. What time is it?”
“I don’t know.”
We’re both still standing at the door. Nenshi looks at the clipboard he’s holding.
“Oh dear, I still have 75,000 more to go.”
“Wait, don’t you have a Twitter account?”
“Yes, but I like meeting the people in the city.”
“Well, uh, best of luck with that Mr. Nenshi. See you later.”
“I haven’t told you about the city yet!”
“That’s alright. I’ll call you if I need anything.”
“Oh, okay.”
We shake hands briefly, and as I close the door to my apartment, Nenshi knocks on the door of my neighbor’s apartment.
For the benefit of those who can’t read the eBook version of Sol, Playa y Mar, I’m putting the story up on Lonesome Cosmonaut as well. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Continue reading »
