When was the last time you initiated a conversation with a total stranger? For me, it is something I do almost every day. I have this gift for speaking and engaging total strangers in conversation. It is not an act or a job, but rather a curiosity and genuine interest in other people’s lives.

Two days ago, my friend Emmy and I grabbed a quick dinner at a food court in one of malls along Lonsdale Street in Melbourne. As I tucked into my souvlaki, an Asian woman mopped the floor around us.

She asked my friend to pull up her coat so it won’t get dirty. Then she asked me to lift my feet up for a few seconds, so she could mop the floor.

I sparked a conversation with her. Her name is Rosie, an Indonesian mother with two kids studying university in Indonesia. She’s been living in Melbourne for seven years. “I just work, work, work,” she said.

When she found out we are from the Philippines, she smiled, “My colleague is Filipino too. I am helping him because I finished my work already.” She then warmed up to us telling us more about her life, and even telling us to say hello when we are back in the city.

I always make an effort to smile and say hello to the people around me, especially those working in hospitality, cleaners, or supermarkets. You don’t really know what people are going through. Perhaps, it is because I live alone in a foreign country. I know how loneliness feels.

According to the Australian Loneliness Report in 2018, one in four Australians are lonely. One in two Australians feel lonely for at least one day in a week. Lonely Australians have worse physical and mental health, and are more likely to be depressed.

While we have become more socially connected by our phones and gadgets, we still sadly feel more isolated. We have created an invisible wall around us, keeping other humans a safe distance away.