Page 94 - EAMMV3

EARTH ANGELS & MAGIC MOMENTS
nod or smile or “mouth-Hi” them, but you never
actually speak to them. You might walk past a shop
every day on the way to work, a shop that you’
ve
never been into but you see the shopkeeper every
morning, so you smile and nod at each other. We call
these people Familiar Strangers.
Consequential Strangers
Now think about some of the strangers you have
interactions with as you go about your life who aren’t
family or close friends. We call them Consequential
Strangers. It’s a term coined by Professor Karen
Fingerman in her book Consequential Strangers. These
are your neighbors, coworkers, store clerks, local police
officers, or members of a religious or community
group. They’re tradespeople like the butcher, the baker,
your mechanic, the fresh-fruit lady at the market.
While we take them for granted, they can enrich our
lives in ways we never imagined. For one, job
opportunities and lucky breaks most likely come from
Consequential Strangers.
When Alfred Hamilton lost his job as vice president
of a savings and loan company he didn’t lose his talent
94