I feel silly and kind of self－deprecating admitting this，but here it goes．I get really anxious when meeting people for the first time．I worry that we won’t have anything to talk about or that our conversation will be plagued with awkward silence．But at an event last night，all my fretting went out of the window．Here’s why．

Last night，my sweet friend Christine hosted a reception at a local coffee shop．She’s a photographer and a few of her favorite pieces were on display．As I walked in and approached the large group crowded around her，I felt that familiar nervous feeling in my stomach．I recognized a few people and quickly tried to come up with the conversation starters．

But then，Christine greeted me with a hug and after we chatted for a bit，she introduced me to Mia，a friend of her who was at the event solo．

“Flora，”she said，“You have to meet Mia．She lives just down the street from you and she just decided to get a car．She had been taking the bus like you．”

Mia and I immediately started exchanging restaurant recommendations and bus stories．I’m pretty passionate about Los Angeles’public transportation and could talk about it for hours on end．Apparently，Mia felt the same way．We talked for over 30 minutes！

Throughout the night，I noticed Christine connecting friends in the same way．Since she obviously knew everyone there，she’d share something her pals had in common when introducing them．I know it seems like a small thing，but it really made me feel so much more comfortable．As awkward as we all might view ourselves，I don’t think anyone wants to be alone in the corner with no one to talk to． kgH0DBfKVQ1ZFR0VOHYa1DbIvNpnnP2RXjPJRaYgH3wv8D+hfiMg0ILKbbVJd2DR