New town, new man
By Tom Mercer
Carbondale-ish
Alven Smith was a reclusive, 50-year-old bachelor. Most people who knew Alven regarded him as “painfully shy,” or worse yet “possibly anti-social.” And, over time, Alven had become aware of his unfortunate reputation, but did not know what he could do about it.
Then, one day, Alven’s landlord dropped by for the rent check, and announced that the house Alven was renting was going to be sold. The prospect of having to move to another location terrified Alven. He believed he could find a new place to live, but the thing that instilled absolute terror in Alven was the prospect of moving into another neighborhood where he knew absolutely NO ONE! Despite his fear, he checked rental listings in the newspaper, constantly.
Then, just one week before he would have to vacate his house, Alven found a rental listing that seemed like a possible option. The listing was for a two-bedroom house in a small town less than 10 miles away. So Alven inspected the property, paid for two month’s rent and began packing his belongings in preparation for the move.
Alven was concerned about meeting people he didn’t know. He would have to meet and introduce himself to total strangers. He knew the move could prove to be totally life-changing, so he resolved to find a comfortable way to meet and get to know his new town’s residents. He spent several days developing a plan that might make the upcoming transition easier.
Alven’s plan was simple. He resolved to initiate a one-man scavenger hunt in what would become his new neighborhood. It certainly wasn’t a great plan, but it was the only plan he could come up with. He decided to put his plan into action one Saturday, assuming that most folks would be home.
It didn’t matter to Alven that he might not be successful in obtaining the objects on his scavenger hunt list. Being somewhat shy, the scavenger hunt would at least give Alven the opportunity to introduce himself to folks in the neighborhood. His scavenger hunt list included the following items: One sock (any color), a newspaper (any date) and a cookie (any flavor). Alven figured that his plan would give him just enough time to introduce himself and initiate a brief chat with whoever opened the door.
That Saturday, Alven mustered what courage he possessed and bravely forged ahead with his plan. . However, by twilight, he had only spoken to two future neighbors. Still, he was making progress. He pressed forward.
He now knew the names of two of his future neighbors, and they knew his, which to Alven represented incredible success! Alven had taken the proverbial social bull by the horns and made real progress. That was enough to give him the courage he needed to continue on his mission.
He moved to the new town and soon found himself speaking to strangers in the grocery store. He would even say “hello” to people who walked by on the sidewalk. His relocation had resulted in a minor miracle. And so, dear readers, if Alven could do it, so could we. It just might brighten someone’s day!