New Friend Mixed with Current Friends = Wonderful Evening

In August, a good friend living in California emailed me about a friend of his who was coming to Stockholm for a few days. I immediately started the ball rolling with my connections in order to help him in any way that I could and told him that we would meet one night in the city.

When a potential new friend emerges (something I embrace) in my life, I enjoy mixing that person with current friends to give the night a little extra spice. Last week, I met this gentleman at one of Stockholm's popular places and within the hour, four of my friends (2 women and 2 men) arrived. The vibe amongst the group was sizzling from the start which boded well for our remaining hours. The energy was good due in large part to everyone being interesting along with a nice mix from America, Serbia and Sweden. In addition, the conversation flowed smoothly whether it was 2 people talking to each other or the whole group interacting.

After a couple of hours, we walked to another hot spot nearby so the new guy in town could experience a different setting. The place was loud and crowded yet we were still able to continue the conversational vibe from earlier in the evening. Being a family man, I left the group around midnight as did two others. The remaining three kept the evening alive and ventured to at least one more place.

Even though I was extremely tired the next day from my daughter's 6am "rise and shine", I decided to meet my new friend in town so I could get to know him better and show him other parts of Stockholm. Since I'm in the midst of 5 months parental leave, he also got to meet my ten-month old daughter. We had a great day walking around the city and the weather cooperated brilliantly with abundant sunshine and soothing temperatures - a warmness prevalent throughout most of September which is uncommon for this time of year.

We discovered that we shared common interests including but not limited to our philosophies about how to live a quality life, being responsible and avoiding dangerous pitfalls that can disrupt, damage or ruin a life. Learning from others is so crucial to leading a well-rounded life and we both gained insightful knowledge from our time together. He also made me think about some issues differently or in a way I had never thought of before which doesn't happen very often.

As I mentioned in my "5 years in Sweden" (link is below) article, my best times socially in Stockholm have been ones that I created or took part in organizing. This evening was no exception and gave me inspiration to write this article. The size of our group was perfect as it gave everyone a chance to interact - something that rarely happens when a night with friends is filled with too many people. Most of my exciting nights socially whether in Belgrade, Serbia or New York City or Stockholm have been with groups of 10 or less.

http://gswede-sunday.blogspot.com/2009/04/5-years-in-sweden-there-is-no-place-id.html

I encourage everyone to attempt to bring one new friend into your life every year. It's important to embrace as it should challenge your open-mindedness as well as give you energy and inspiration. One of my minor irritations is going to an event at a home with the same people year after year - a common occurrence in Stockholm and probably throughout Sweden as people tend to stay confined to their group of childhood friends or current friends throughout life. It happens in America as well although not with the frequency I have witnessed here. I implore those stuck in the same group of friends to be bold and venture outside of your comfort zone with new people and you may be pleasantly surprised at the results.

My new friend had a good time in Stockholm and indicated that he will return. When he does, we will mix it up once again, have fun and.....Let the good times roll!

Happy Gswede Sunday!

New Friend, Current Friend and Gswede in Stockholm.