No new friends

So I remember when I was a freshman in College, this guy told me to make all the friends I could possibly make now because the older I got  the harder it will be for me to make friends. By the way. Who "makes" friends? I thought you just encountered them (zen moment). I remember thinking
"Oh really? You must not know who I am homie?" "I am a friend magnet." LOL. Well a few months ago, I went to a boot camp for new church start pastors and after the week was over, one thing I really kept hearing was how hard it is to connect with people in a new area. I shouted on the inside "Really? You must not know who I am?" "If I can make friends, I can meet people." Well I am 18 days into meeting new people in an area I have never lived in and I have to say "This stuff is hard as...!" When did it get so difficult to walk up to complete strangers, throw the smile, and start a conversation? I used to be the prince of the 3 minute intro and now I can barely get my words out before I get the What are you selling" or "I don't have time for one liners" look. And this attitude is coming from sweet old men in the book store. LOL I can't help but wonder to myself if it is the beard, the haircut, the clothes, MY BREATH? Or could it be that we are now so used to relating to a small screen on a not so smart phone that the idea of actual human contact is unbearable. Who knows? I thought back to my older blogs at somer storm and noticed how many times I had been rejected and then grew from there. That's when I realized that it is not the rejection that matters but my desire to connect and grow. So that will be my focus. Stay connected with me and invite others to join us.Also when you have a chance come out to an event and #growwithus.