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"I don't really have anything to say for myself"

Kids.

It's amazing how many times people will stop to say hello when a small child says hello to them. We got invited into someone's garden last weekend to feed their chickens.

Admittedly we live in a more rural area. Might not work so well on the mean streets of London.

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There's no doubt lots of people are closely connected to their local community through kids friends, their kids schools, their kids sports teams, etc. But having kids only as a means to talk to people would be a bit drastic!

Well I did also have kids so I wouldn't look so dodgy hanging around by the play equipment in the park, so it wasn't just as a means to speak to people ;)

Having a two year old, no one looks at me weird when I play with the duplo blocks at the local LEGO store.

Ha! I went to the Lego store once pre child and got excited about the advent calendars. The man next to me asked how old my child was, I had to admit that I didn't have one.

Kids are definitely the ultimate cure for loneliness. A couple years in and you're likely to beg for some loneliness ;)

At least once a day

Dog’s are also great for this, at least in the Bay Area. When I had a pup people were striking up conversations all the time.

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