People are strange when you’re a stranger…– Jim Morrison, The Doors

Its true!

What is so weird, the people I am most alike are those who I grew up with in Kansas. Even though we had vast differences, we all seem to think very much alike. They are my stranger brothers and sisters.

So if I get on a tangent about small talk, it would be about—
College football, MMA, wrestling, Muay Thai fighting
Backpacking, adventure travel, ultralight weight packing, minimalist footwear
Yoga, yoga teaching, Rocket Yoga, Ashtanga, yoga styles
Army, military, basic training, overseas living
Exercise, CrossFit, powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, strongman
Running, ultramarathons, trail running, gear, races
Fly fishing, fishing, trout adventures, saltwater
Kayaking, paddle boarding, sailing, boating
Delicately if we are alike—politics, religion, society

What is super weird is, for the most part, there are not even a handful of people at my work that have these things in common with me. There are very few that have more than one thing in common. Its so weird. I mean, you think of guys stopping at the water cooler commonly saying "what about that game?" The people at my work are like "what game?" Its just weird. It gets particularly weird when you end up having to travel or sit in a meeting with them. They just don’t carry on conversations like the normal people I know. Its like pulling teeth to get people to talk and open up. There are a few who I can go to, but not very many.

In my yoga community, we can talk yoga all day. They are often creative minds with open hearts. So we can always find some rabbit hole to travel down. But similarly, we are often very different. One characteristic about yoga-minded people is many are vegan/vegetarian. I don’t have that in common at all. So its never like "let’s have a potluck" or "wanna meet for lunch?" Fortunately, several are backpackers, rock climbers, and many enjoy fitness and mindfuluness pursuits. Because of their insightful minds, they are always easy to talk with. We can always hang out and talk for days. But we are still very different people. And that’s OK. Its not uncomfortable at all. I always feel so close to yogis.

Do you find similar things in life? Are there places you go to find like-minded people? Sometimes its fun to find people different from you. Other times, its just awkward.

Why? People are Strange.