Continuing with what seems to me to be a constantly recurring theme of mine, my love of listening to & talking with people. It's happened to me a lot again, recently.

I prefer meeting people in informal settings; coffee/tea shops: Huntleys, the Coffee Exchanges, Starbucks, if we must. ( Making a note to try young entrepreneur Natalie Haywood's Leaf place in Liverpool if ever I can...http://www.thisisleaf.co.uk/#/on-bold-street).

Recently, waiting for an appointment, one of the young staff asked me who I was meeting today?

Was it the lady he'd met at pre Confirmation classes at his local Church? As it turned out, it was.

As she was late, he then nattered away about his experience, why he was doing it, what he was getting out of it, what he didn't like about it, Abrahamic religion, synoptic Gospels, the story of Jesus, Jesus in the Temple, what Jesus would think, say & do about some of the things going on locally & around the world.

He spent 10 or 15 minutes & was well animated about what he's got himself involved in.

My 10 o'clock was still to arrive.

A lady at the next table, who I'd never met, passed me a slip of paper with a quote taken from a magazine.

It said something like "Don't point your finger, unless your own hands are busy".

She'd cut it out, she went on, because people at her Church were full of great ideas, usually voiced as criticism. They were the very people that were usually absent when it came to some actual work being required, she observed.

Her accompanying husband then started to speak about his National Service , 1961, I think. In Nairobi, Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta & Mau Mau were mentioned. Then I got on with my actual meeting.

A few days later, business concluded & colleague departed, I cleared my e mails.

The guy next to me had a university looking text book with him entitled "Microbiology" as well as laptop & phone.

"Studying" I said, with an interrogative in my voice. "Sort of" he replied.

He then regaled me with his new job, new Boss, strains of C-Diff, spores, exponential powers...he could talk & did do for 15, 20 minutes.

He got animated almost agitated. He had a passion.

So has Holly Bleasdale aged 20, local young woman who on August 6th this year, she told me, hopes to hang an Olympic medal around her neck.

She'll need poise, balance, speed, timing, strength, skill, courage on that day in abundance.

She'll have to pole vault 4.70m+, 16 feet. To win, she'll need all those attributes & she'll need competitive edge, the chutzpah to want to win, to beat the others!

I spent a few minutes with her alongside a dozen or so Sports Science students who asked her great questions about a whole range of things.

The atmosphere was fantastic amongst those youngsters.

It was a magic & captivating to witness.

Some great chats, some great people with great & small stories to tell...

Shouldn't we all make more space for such opportunities?