The Perfect Icebreaker
After studying in London for 3 years, I learned one thing, if you speak to someone you don’t know on the tube, people assume that you are either from out of town or are crazy! I mean it’s quite puzzling, if you’ve ever had the joy of using the London underground at rush hour, you’d know that it’s really not all that pleasant to have your face pushed up against the armpit of someone you don’t even know (in fact, you don’t need to have experienced it to understand that it’s not pleasant).
But that does beg the question that despite becoming so intimate with someone that you’ve never met before and will probably never meet again, why is it that exchanging pleasantries is seen to be so strange? I mean it’s understandable that questions such as ‘how old are you’ and ‘where are you off to’ can seem a little stalkerish and weird. This may leave people questioning then what is actually considered socially acceptable to ask or discuss with a complete stranger on the tube on the way to work? Well unfortunately I don’t have all the answers, all I can tell you is my experience.
When I got on the tube one morning on the way to university, I noticed many people reading my favourite funny t-shirt and smiling at me! And trust me, anyone living in London knows that that is a bit of a breakthrough. It was almost as if my funny t-shirt had acted as some sort of ice breaker and introduced us, allowing me to freely start up a conversation with them if I wished. But even if I didn’t feel like speaking to anyone, it was a strange feeling to know I had made someone I’ve never even met before smile without even opening my mouth! And it’s definitely something that I’d recommend anyone to do. After a long, tiring, stressful day at work, sharing a giggle with a stranger can be just what you both need, after all, laughter is the best medicine, and it can be nice to simply spread a bit of joy in society, and to be honest, it didn’t just act as a bit of a ‘pick me up’ for other people, it also sky-rocketed my own confidence as I had many people, both people I knew and didn’t know come up and compliment me on my funny t-shirt, name me any other type of clothing that could have done that!
Since this experience, I’ve started to wear funny t-shirts in all scenarios in which I may be nervous, or meeting somebody new, as I know it is a fantastic way to break the ice and to spread some joy in society. So what are you waiting for? Go grab a funny t-shirt and start spreading some joy today!
