From Strangers to Friends

Two years ago, I invited seven strangers to my house for a dinner party. They didn’t know me, they didn’t know each other, and—as a requirement of my invitation—they each came alone. We ranged in age from twenty-two to seventy-three, and we had little in common.

The night had all the ingredients for Awkward Scenario of the Century.

Yet within hours, we found ourselves sharing our life dreams, highlights, challenges, and most embarrassing moments. We conversed, laughed, and hugged as if we’d known each other forever. I’d never been at a party like this, never met people quite like these.

We’ve stayed in touch ever since. Last night—as we’ve done so many times over the past two years—The 52 Stranger Danger Club, as we call ourselves, gathered once again.

Is it possible for a group of strangers, brought together for a single night as part of one woman’s odd personal journey, to become lasting friends?

Stranger things have happened.

When's the last time you did something for the first time? And did you enjoy it enough to do it all over again?