Every day, we encounter so many different people and interact with them all in different ways. As human beings, we crave interactions with other human beings, it's just natural. We want to engage in relationships with others and relate to them through conversation and experiences. But, so often, I notice that the things we are talking about don't really matter, and there is no depth to these conversations we have and the relationships we form.

I don't care about how it's supposed to rain this weekend. I don't want to simply know "what's up." I crave depth. I want to know what's inside someone's soul; I want to know what makes them tick. Tell me about your childhood and that one time you fell of your bike, and show me the scar to prove it. I want to know about your hopes and dreams and your biggest fears. I want to talk about love and heartbreak and hear about the time you cried on your bathroom floor because he shattered your heart in a million pieces. Tell me about the nights you cry yourself to sleep. Tell me about the books you read and the places you have traveled. Screw small talk, I want to know people. I want to know people beyond the surface of what they present to the world. You can learn so much from other people if you are just willing to talk to them. We always think we are so alone in our experiences when in reality if we were willing to talk about them we would find that we are not alone at all.

I want to know how you are, but I don't want "good" as an answer. Tell me what kept you up tossing and turning last night, tell me about the mental breakdown you had after class. Tell me about what made you smile today. It's conversations like these that build true connections. If you could look inside the heart of any human being you would fall in love with them completely. Ask yourself, if you died today, would you be satisfied with the last conversation you had with the people you love? Would you be satisfied with, What's up?Not much, you? Or would you wish you had told them they mean everything to you and give you a reason to wake up every morning?

Our lives are like books, and everyone has a chapter they don't want to read out loud. Ask me about my best friend, ask me about my first kiss, ask me what the best and worst days in my life were. Ask me where I see myself in 10 years. Everyone has a story if you just care enough to ask. Small talk is just so general. Tell me about your favorite song and how it reminds you of that one time in the sixth grade. I'm tired of answers like, "I'm fine." Tell me about the fight you got into with your parents or how you are miserable. Describe to me your favorite people and why you love them so much.

Get to know people, and allow people to get to know you. The art of conversation, real, genuine, conversation, is so beautiful. We waste our words and we waste our moments, and we don't take the time to say the things in our hearts while we have the chance. I'm sick of small talk, let's bring more depth and meaning into our relationships. Ask me anything, tell me everything.