Three Minute Conversations – Rae Gross

I was recently asked if I had fun at a local Chanukah party , I responded, “well I had 200 three minute conversations… I had a good time… but now I am just tired.” While I love meeting new people and making new friends, living in a Moishe House that has a lot of large events and fewer small events I find that my biggest struggle is connecting on a personal level with people that come to the house, especially new people. Instead of engaging them one-on-one and getting to know them I feel responsible for the food, beverages, décor, music, etc. and I leave it to my roommates to make new people feel welcome and to introduce them to other members of our community.

Since we are heralding the start of a new year, my resolution for 2010 is to slow down at events and really talk to people. The joy of being in a Moishe House is all the fantastic people that you meet! Too often I find myself getting caught up in the details and not enjoying my present company. That doesn’t mean that I have to let the cups stack up on the tables, but maybe just letting people bus their own plates wouldn’t kill me.