Make no one a stranger....

I consider myself a shy person.  Yes, for those of you who know me are scratching their heads and saying "whaaaaaat?!"  Through my whole life I struggled with social anxiety, sometimes it was mild and sometimes it was severe.  But what makes people scratch their heads is my ability to get up on stage and sing or act or really put myself out there.  Well....that person on the stage because my alter-ego that I could hide behind, Katie the singer or Katie the actress not Katie Egloff....nothing. I know, I know crazy talk.  So putting myself out there to talk to people I didn't know or a stranger was terrifying to me.  Like anxiety, panic attack inducing scary for me.


I spent the summer of 2013 in a deep depression from sometime in May until Labor Day weekend when I looked at myself in the mirror and didn't like the way I looked.  I had gain 15 pounds over the summer and didn't fit into any of my summer clothes.  So I started do Weight Watchers and started doing yoga and Zumba.  I finally started feeling a little bit better.  Then on September 19 I received a message from my friend Deb, telling me about coming back to church (we have been visiting the church a year ago but fell away) and about a bible study that was starting on Wednesday nights she wanted me to go to.  As I write this I can feel the anxiety in my chest I had that day when Deb asked me to go.  I told her I would, thinking I could make an excuse and get out of it later, but I had to miss the first Wednesday.  Thursday afternoon, the day after the first bible study, Deb pulls up to my house and brings me the bible study book and proclaims "I'm not letting you get out of this, I'll pick you up next Wednesday at 7:40"  And she sure did.  Every Wednesday Deb picked me up for this bible study, of course I had to miss a couple, but after the first one I was hooked.  I remember being so terrified walking in that room the first time, with eight ladies I didn't know.  I remember thinking "what are they going to think of me?"  "I'm this sinner that hasn't been to church in over a year and I'm just going to show up and invade in their bible study!" "Just be quiet, don't say anything stupid" After the first video, I shared my knowledge of the Bible and got a couple compliments and my knowledge of the Bible (well I attended Christian day school since age 10 so knowledge of the Bible kind of stuck)

Three months later, I am now a member of Bethel Reformed Church, sing on a Praise Team, did a special music tri with my two daughters and I'm working on a special community out reach program called "The Peanut Butter Project".  I was asked to speak in church about my experience with the small group bible study.  Because of my renewed faith I have felt better and want to share how happy I am with other.  I wasn't doing it on purpose it just happened  I tried to say "hi" to everyone I meet, make a conversation with cashiers at the grocery store, talk to the waitresses a restaurant, chat with the customer service reps (when I had to call US Cellular three times and was on hold for an hour I hung up the phone with a smile on my face) It wasn't until I went out to dinner with my mom and Grandma Richards "Grammie" and I chatted it up with the waitress that I realized what I was doing.  I had talked with the waitress so much my mom asked me "Katie who is that, how do you know her?"
I replied "I don't"
My mom said, "You don't know her? The way you were talking it up with her seemed like you knew her"
Grammie said "No one is a stranger to Katie"

I realized how true that really is.  I have so much more confidence now and I have made it my policy "Make no one a stranger"  Now it may not work out all the time.  I'm an odd duck as it is so I am not going to run across a parking lot to say "hi" to a stranger.  (I'm seriously laughing right now at the thought of it.....give me a moment.....dang I'm funny) But I am going to try to be nice to those I meet.  Friends come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.  My late friend Mitch (husband of my friend Deb who got me to go to the Bible Study) said "I'm nice to everyone, they could be my new best friend".  You never know when you could be someone's reason.  What if the cashier that I complimented on her hair was having the worst day because it seemed all the customers were jerks.  What if the grouchy cashier I talked about puppies with at Joann's has a sick mother at home and I just helped her forget about it for just a second.  What if the person I invited to church had gone through a summer long depression and didn't know how she was going to get out of it?  What if Deb didn't invite me to church, would I be so full of love as I am right now?
This Holiday season, and I say Holiday because just because you are a Christian and celebrate Christmas doesn't mean you can't wish someone a Happy Hanukkah (even though Hanukkah is over) Or if you are Jewish you can't say Merry Christmas.  Saying Happy Holidays is more of an insult. So moral of my story put yourself out there, say "Hi" to people and if you are feeling low.  Call me I've got a great story for you.