The Goddess Speaks June Dillinger

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Friendships begin with simple hello

I have been blessed with the most extraordinary friendships on Earth. Some are from La Jolla, Calif., where I grew up, and others are from Hawaii, where I live today.

Actually, they come from all over the world.

I've gathered friends in an abundance of unique ways. In no particular order: waiting in line at the supermarket, hanging around outside at intermission during a play on Bethel Street, chatting with another golfer who was not in my group, at happy hour, selling something online and meeting the buyer for the purchase, at a neighborhood party, in the ocean on a bodyboard at the Waikiki wall, on my way to South America on an airplane, even standing next to another woman while leaning over the rail at the zoo and hoping for a glimpse of the giraffe.

My list is endless.

Recently, my son, Macklin, asked me not to speak to the lady behind me in line at the grocery store as she placed the contents of her basket onto the conveyer belt.

He said, "Please don't ask her what she's going to make with those eggs. Just be quiet, Mom."

I quickly pretended to zip my lips. Then I reminded him that all my friends were strangers once upon a time. Had they not spoken to me or I to them, I wouldn't have any.

As a matter of fact, one of my favorite experiences was meeting Louise, a woman I bumped into and asked for directions. Through this friendship I discovered an entire group of amazing 60-plus women who walked around Diamond Head and were all in much better shape than I was.

Inspiration at its finest. Now I'm hiking the Diamond Head trail with Charles, another remarkable friend I made at a seminar, because he appeared interesting to me.

Last spring, I met two women from Malaysia and Uganda in the Treviso, Italy, airport. They were returning home to England from a Venetian vacation. I asked them if they knew the best way to get from the Stansted airport to the Gatwick airport in England.

They said it would be too late to get there once we arrived, so they invited me to their home. The next morning at 6:30 a.m., they sent me off in a private hired car to Gatwick. I have a standing invitation now in England with Mai and Sandra.

Staying open to possibilities in making friends has provided me a life of excitement and fun, not to mention so many incredible, lifelong friendships.

If you don't have many friends, take a lesson from me. Often a simple "good morning" is the perfect way to begin a day. You might never know what kind of friendships you can create if you don't step out first and say "hello."