Hi! After spending the past week in Kentucky, I’m back in Tennessee, and preparing to spend my next week in the Volunteer state. While I’m disappointed to leave my home state, I’m excited to be back with familiar faces in the Washington County staff, and travel to a new county and meet so many new people.
Though I hail from Kentucky, I am not closely familiar or well-traveled within the Appalachian region of my state. Visiting Appalachian Kentucky for the first time was a visceral, eye-opening experience. Seeing people from my own state in such a different environment was nearly unbelievable. I felt very inclined to hear all of the people I met tell their stories and relate with them when I could.
However, this feeling of forced connection made me question how I went about first impressions and interactions with new people. Why did I only feel obligated to put extra effort into relating with people because they were also from Kentucky? If I were to put that much effort into getting to know new people no matter where I was, or where they were from, I think I would highly increase my ability to create meaningful relationships.
Overcoming implicit biases and presumptions is one of the hardest things to do when trying to meet new people, and in my eyes, being completely unbiased or fully open-minded is something that may be impossible. This doesn’t mean you can’t try your best. I have found myself using these presumptions to shape the way I feel about people before I truly meet them. When I hear that someone is from a northern state, or a large urban area, I may assume that they will be rude or close-minded. Ironically, making those assumptions before giving them a chance makes those characteristics more descriptive of myself.
Since the basis of my job is to travel, meet new people, and hear their stories, I must try every day to keep an open mind. I hope to manifest this mindset into my daily life. Meeting homeowners from all over Appalachia, and living with and working alongside staff from all over the country, has truly given me a new perspective on the simple relational connection that humans are created with. No matter what someone looks like, where they are from, how they express themselves or what they identify as, there is always room to put effort into building a relationship with them.
The next time you find yourself judging a book by its cover, whether it’s a new face, style of food, or hangout idea with friends, just give it a chance. Hold yourself and your peers accountable when it comes to maintaining an open mind, and you’ll find that you may have been holding yourself back from finding someone or something you love.
See you next week,
Jaxson Gage
Story Gathering Intern
