Strangers who matter

AHS Grads '85
Originally uploaded by The Put-Man.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1925288,00.html

My random web-bit of the day really got me thinking. How would I categorize the people in my life? Who makes which cut? The categories range from stranger to soul mate, with consequential stranger, acquaintance, friends, and intimates in between.

To me, a true stranger is someone I’ve never before met, never seen their face before. Unknown.

I don’t like the nomenclature of ‘consequential stranger’, but I ‘get’ the idea. This is someone who you recognize & see on a regular basis, but don’t ‘know’. People like fellow dog-walkers, gym nuts, or service providers – people whose name we may not know, but we see them and exchange bits of conversation on a regular basis. The above article points out how important they are to us, and it really opened my eyes.

An acquaintance is someone whose name I know, and maybe even have had lunch with. This is the pool of ‘potential friends’, people you know, but not well enough for a ride to the airport. Happy Hour compatriots, but not the ones invited over for a cook-out when my Mom comes to town.

Friends – ah, the conundrum of who is, and who isn’t! We all have cycles in our lives. As we change jobs, neighborhoods, and significant others, we have a cascade of people falling through our lives like water going downstream. Things change, some come closer, some fade away.

Intimates – the people who make the grade beyond being “just friends”. These aren’t the ones who come bail us out of jail, these are the ones IN the cell with us!

Soul Mates – I expand this category a bit more than some would. Most would say this is the “one & only”, the person you marry. I say we all have several rare people at this level, the “first phone call”, if you will. When something (good or bad) happens – who do you call first? I’m not married, so maybe I don’t yet quite ‘get’ this level, but I have a few very-important-to-me people whom I’m sure I’ll know again in future lives.