100 Cups hits San Francisco, California!

We are living in an absolutely incredible time - a day in age when the ability to connect is all around us - it is, quite literally, always at our fingertips. We blog, we tweet, we 'like', we check-in - and yet, somehow, we tend to forget that all of these new and exciting means of human connection cannot do much to replace the one upon which they were all built - our ability to speak.

To craft sounds into words - to mold words into sentences - and to construct, with these very sentences, our thoughts, our stories, and our emotions...

I was rather inspired when, quite recently, a gentleman by the name of Matt Ramos - of San Francisco, California - decided to take my ideas on board and meet his very own stranger over a cup of coffee.

(Click the photo to read about Matt's experience on www.30vanquish.com!)

Brief though Matt's meeting with a stranger may have been - it would seem to me that Matt walked away from the conversation with a renewed sense of inspiration - with an increased appreciation for motivation and productivity - with a deeper understanding for the privilege and opportunity that this amazing day in age affords us all. All of this - from a simple exchange of ideas - an exchange of words...

Try it yourself sometime. Take a moment to notice that people around you. The man crossing the street; the bus driver who gets you where you need to go day after day; the woman sitting next to you on a park bench. Take a chance. Say hello. Ask them how they're doing. You may be surprised how welcome the conversation is. And if it's not - well, be happy that you tried. And then try again...

It may seem like a simple thing to do - meeting a stranger for a beverage and some conversation - but sometimes, great things come from life's most simple gestures. Conversation - true, honest, genuine conversation - it has the power to change the world and everyone within it. It begs us to be ourselves, and knows we will learn, in time, to accept one another in spite of our differences. It urges us to speak, and asks us politely to listen in return. And so we listen; and learn; and grow...

And as we grow, we change - ever so slightly - leaving our old selves behind, we walk away anew...

[A most humble thank you to Matt Ramos for taking a chance on this. A point of disclosure - nothing monetary was exchanged between Matt and Sarah - just conversation and the exchange of ideas! Matt, I hope that you continue on your journey of self discovery and human connection - I know you will achieve great things! And for those of you who are interested - Matt Ramos also keeps a blog, with a focus on destroying social barriers and living constraint free - www.30vanquish.com - stop by, have a read, learn something!]