John, I love this piece with all your anecdotes about wonderful interactions with strangers. I like that you included your wife's thoughts about Greyhound bus conversations I once traveled from Boston to Chicago on a Greyhound bus sitting next to a Hell's Angel. We had the most interesting conversation! I love chatting with strangers and I'm sure you're right about these conversations being more honest. It's probably because you know you'll likely never see the person again and you've got nothing to lose.
Great writing!