If you’re an adult there’s a good chance you have an idea of what someone means when they say “one night stand.” But Greg and I have them ALL the time … and they are not what you think. We call them Social One Night Stands.
We are one of those couples who grabs a seat at the bar and makes friends with the bartender and pretty much anyone sitting nearby. We chat with strangers on airplanes, in lines and just about everywhere. We’ve made fast friends with fellow explorers on foodie tours. We’ve met couples who are in their early 20s and others in their 70s. We’ve chatted up singles, couples and even groups.
On a sail, snorkel, paddle cruise off Key West, we chatted with fellow passengers and connected with one named Liz from New York City. We invited her back to our rental home and spent an evening sharing a home-cooked meal and fun stories. That was in 2020. We haven’t heard from her, nor her from us, since then.
A favorite watering hole in a DC suburb has been a smorgasbord of new faces of all ages and walks of life. When we lived there, we made “friends” weekly … and never heard from them again.
Recently, on a flight from Dallas to Bismarck, North Dakota, I made friends with Jody. She offered to drive me around her native state so I could “really see its beauty” and then have me over for dinner. I thanked her profusely for her kind offer, but I had already made plans for my short visit. We exchanged phone numbers with good intentions to stay in touch. I’ll probably never hear from her again.
And that’s okay!
Nearly all of these “new friends” lasted a single night. We clicked at a bar or on a boat or on a tour. We laughed, shared stories and exchanged emails or phone numbers … then never heard from them again.
Sometimes the “one night” is about a week long … like the friends we made on a couple of river cruises. In those instances, we’ve stayed friends on facebook and often post things like “we should get together again” … but we never do.
Certainly lifelong friends bring us joy and memories forever, but our social one night stands are also memorable for their brevity and emotional connection. They bring a smile to our faces as we wonder whatever happened to each of them.
There’s a whole world out there just waiting to be explored. It’s a lot more fun when you have a friend … even if you never hear from them again.
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