I had lunch with a good friend of mine yesterday. Good because we are extremely open … vulnerable with one another. Granted we’re both right brainers … emotional, instinctive, very people oriented. We soar from topic to topic. Share perspectives on mutual challenges. Our wins and our losses. Laugh a lot. You get it. We just enjoy each other’s company. But during lunch we shared this.

As rich as our friendship is … we agreed. You have to pick your spots when going deeper in conversation with another. Like he and I do. Much of what we take in spiritually, bounces off so many others. Never gets through … hits home. I’ve found you have to pick your spots when engaging in more meaningful conversation … while seeking those who are willing to be fully transparent … uncover, examine their personal truths. I abhor “cocktail” talk. You know. Inane chatter. I’ve referred to this as “chewing gum for the mind.” Conversation about … the weather, your next trip, politics. All the stuff that in my experience dominates too much of our social discourse. Admittedly, this is a weakness of mine. Some chatter is necessary to precede, prime the pump to find deeper exchange that might follow. My wife constantly reminds me, “Bob, you can’t be heavy all the time.” She’s right.

I’m meeting with a young lady tomorrow for coffee. We met at a reception at her home three months ago. The evening was chock full of cocktail talk. But we connected toward the end of the evening. You know how I feel about “energy?” If you’re open. Truly open. You will be able detect when there’s a “warm” energy in another. My friend radiated a warmness right away. The smile. Immediately, a kind, curious “who are you” gaze. Just a warm presence. I felt a chance here to “pick my spot?” Converse with someone who was open to talking about real stuff. Turned out she was a founder of a new group that gathers once a month to pursue, learn more about the power of spirituality. A dimension of our human existence that some of her friends were exploring. I took her number … not because she was pretty, she was. But to learn more about what might be a source of topics, group discussions focusing on my passion, my mission: Helping people grow… so they will go forth and help others grow.

We’ll see. This could be expansive. Maybe not. A wonderful opportunity to learn and share mutual experiences with people of like mind. Convene with others willing to take the emotional risk. Be open. Try to avoid the “masking” of ourselves we all can be guilty of. The face we put forward when interacting with others. For protection. Rather than expose our true selves. Be fully authentic.

I’ll continue to scan those who pass by, come my way. All good people. But I am particularly interested in those few like, the group above, who might be willing to go deeper in exploring our “internal universe.” Who we are. That invisible dimension inside of us that is fathomless. Beyond our physicality. Fueled by spirituality. This new group interests me. But if not a fit, I push on. Finding others, like yesterday’s lunch partner, who might like to go deeper. Are confident enough to relate, live and love life in a very special, more meaningful way.