When you least expect it...

I'm not a believer in Catholicism, or any religion for that matter, but I've come across a small handful of people in my life who could qualify as guardian angels because of what they did at a precise moment in time.

On Wednesday, I went to a pre-grand opening of a saloon in Toronto and didn't really know a soul. True to my usual weaknesses, I wandered around the bar alone, hoping that the impossible would happen and a group of people would say, "Hey, Christina! Come over here and tell us about yourself."

Except it doesn't work that way.

How it works in the real world is you have to actually go up and talk to people, but what that process is has eluded me for just about my entire life. I'm fine with talking to people if there's a purpose to it (e.g. I'm interviewing them, calling up customer service to kvetch about something or other, asking for directions [although I try and avoid this situation as much as possible for reasons of pride and ego], or chatting up customers, coworkers and clients- that sort of thing.)

But what I'm not good at - and still haven't figured out my way around - is how to just approach strangers when there's absolutely no impetus to. I've seen other people do it, so I know it's possible. But how?

Resigning myself to another night where I'd inevitably go home and rue the previous hours, kicking myself for opportunities lost in hindsight, I inwardly sighed at my personality deficiencies and pulled out my laptop, figuring I'd get the work done early I'd planning to do on the subway ride home.

As I clicked and clacked on the keyboard, kicking myself more and more as the bar grew louder and louder, the unthinkable happened: someone walked up to talk to me.

"Are you seriously on your laptop at a bar?" she asked incredulously.

Hesitating, I replied, "Er, yep. I don't know anyone here."

A puzzled look came over her face. "So, talk to someone!"

"How?"

"Go up to them and say 'hi,'" she shrugged.

"Just like that, eh?"

"Just like that."

And just like that, Blondie (I didn't actually get her name, or maybe I did and I can't remember it, but she was blonde), walked me over to a table, introduced me to F, and got the ball rolling.

And from thereon in, I was fine.

Thank you, Blondie, wherever you are.