Friendly Faces in Familiar Places

It is fair to say, as humans, we do things that make us feel comfortable. We acquire certain habits or customs that become familiar to not only ourselves, but each other.

We often make a familiar choice for fear of the unknown. The decision is based on what we know as being usual, easy, and comforting. Eventually, some of us will break out of the ordinary, and make a decision that isn't so comforting (at first), might have a negative impact, or simply use it as a learning experience. And, it usually works out.

Having lived in Abu Dhabi for a year now, everything unfamiliar and new has become a daily part of my life. I have developed a liking to my new surroundings, friends, and favorite places to go.

As someone that loves to watch people, you forget that there are people just like you. People lurking just in the background, watching you. Just when you think you are becoming familiar with your surroundings and the people that make that location, there are others that you become known to, simply just a friendly face in a familiar place.

I recently met a friend of mine for lunch, in one of my favorite hotspots, The One. We then held a baby shower for a close friend of ours, also at The One. I also bought some souvenir gifts to take back to United States, also from The One. It is pretty safe to say, The One is a familiar place to me, and I still continue to go there.

In the midst of The One becoming a favorite place, we have become one of the many familiar faces. There are staff members at The One who have remembered us, remembered our names, and graciously helped/served us. Although these are short meetings, we get to know each other piece by piece....one meeting at a time, they become familiar to us, just as we become familiar to them.

Although we may never meet anywhere outside of that familiar place, we are still just those familiar faces.