Many people are terrified at the prospect of talking to a complete stranger. You don’t know each other and too many things could go wrong. However, there are plenty of times when an encounter with a stranger isn’t that bad, albeit a little awkward.

Junior Nathan York remembers a time when he was at the orthodontist and ran into a stranger who didn’t seem to have any trouble starting a conversation.

“He was polite and mostly asked about my time with braces,” York said.

There aren’t many times you get the opportunity to talk to someone different or potentially make a new friend. Interacting with unfamiliar people might not be your ideal way to pass the time, but it’s not nearly as bad as you might think.